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One of the most difficult decisions clients face lies in the naming of their business. Not because good names are hard to come by but rather, because the entire prospect of creating and ultimately deciding upon a name takes on undue proportions.

In the simplest of terms, our advice to clients has always been: “If it’s easy to pronounce and easy to remember, then it’s a good name.”

Here are 5 basic principles when it comes to naming a business entity:

1. Select a business name that begins with letters found early on in the alphabet (A, B, C, etc). Why? Because alphabetizing names is still a popular means of organization.

2. Select a name that you can spell phonetically. While Nike is clearly an exception to this rule, names that can be spelled based upon phonetics are easier to brand than those that are not.

3. Select a business name with one, two or three syllables over that of those with four or more. For the very simple reason that – in general — they are easier to remember and easier to pronounce.

4. Select a business name that has a fairly short URL available. In short: shorter is quite simply, better. URLs utilizing .net, .us, etc. are big-time no-no’s. A shorter URL is easier to Market and is better for Search Engine Optimization.

5. Select a business name that has some meaning to it. Creating a name that helps describe in visual and audible terms the company’s core business and/or values will make the branding process that much easier.

Selecting the right name for your business will help you be more memorable, easier to brand and Market you business, and will overall result in doing more business. Choose wisely!

For several years, B-Squared Advertising has supported the work and been a member of the Collier Building Industry Association.

This year, I agreed to serve as chair of the organization’s Sales and Marketing Council.

One of the SMC’s community projects is the annual Toy Drive benefiting over 700 children who attend Pinecrest Elementary School in Immokalee, Florida. This year the SMC raised over $5,000 to purchase toys for needy children. Donations from Mattel and other caring people, as well as discounts from Walmart, helped purchase over 1,000 toys, which were delivered and distributed last Friday. Each child was allowed to pick out one toy or two, if the toy selected was a small one.

As you can imagine, the response to this giveaway was heart wrenching and very inspiring. During the morning-long distribution, one youngster approached me and quietly asked if she could get something for her little cousin instead of selecting something for herself. After helping her pick out a small stuffed animal, I suggested that she might be able to find another item that she could keep for her very own. She only agreed to do so after being assured that the original item selected could still be given to her cousin telling me, “She’s never had a Christmas present before.”

Clearly, this was a child who had little of her own yet her first thought was of someone else and how she might make that child’s life a little brighter. In this day and age of a “me first” mentality on the part of many, it was so utterly refreshing to see such genuine generosity and selflessness. A true Christmas message worth sharing.

– May the true spirit of Christmas be with us all,

Robyn Bonaquist, President of B-Squared Advertising

Baby boomers are probably the most studied generation in history, ushering in the practice of analyzing each subsequent generation of kids to get into their heads. What do they like? What don’t they like?
While aging, baby boomers are still a force to be reckoned with. Here are 10 little known facts to consider when marketing to this generation:
1. Baby boomers are the hardest working generation and consider retirement a four-letter word. Most don’t expect to retire; their self-worth is wrapped up in their job
2. 78.2 percent are online daily, representing 60 million potential customers
3. 50 percent of those between 50 and 64 use social networking
4. 25 percent of those over 60 use social networking
5. When marketing to baby boomers stay away from the following words:

• aging
• old
• seniors
• infertility
• decline

6. Make use of the words:

• energetic
• independent
• vitality
• useful
• fun

7. This generation has the highest divorce rate of all the generations. Ads should include singles, groups of friends and not all heterosexual couples.
8. Despite the turn of events with the economy baby boomers react well to messaging about enjoying the good things in life.
9. TV, advertising, music and messages that remind them of their youth are received very positively. As a group they are very nostalgic.
10. Baby boomers are resistant to a hard sell. Instead, your message needs to convey an emotional connection.

Having spent the last decade working in the real estate and development industry we think we can say with some measure of certainty that the real estate tide has turned for the better throughout the state of Florida.

Just look at what’s been happening recently:

• A large developer we represent – Codina-Carr – on the East Coast launched a brand new community consisting of single family, estate and townhomes in January of 2010. With initial price points in the upper $200s, Monterra has sold 400 homes to date and is averaging traffic of 300 people a week through the doors.
• We launched a new community last July called Central Park. Developed by Neal Communities, this was the first new home project in Sarasota’s Lakewood Ranch in years. Price points of just $120,000 helped attract over 4,000 people opening weekend and in just one year, more than 125 homes have been sold and closed.
• Closer to home, B Squared Advertising has worked with Moraya Bay since January of last year. This 72-unit beachfront condominium project sold out in 2006 only to have more than half its contracts fall out at time of closing in 2009. Since then, however, a new branding campaign heavy on the internet side of things has resulted in average weekly traffic over the past two seasons of 75 people and to date, more than $80 million in sales.
• Further on down the road, Vineyards is another client who reports a remarkably better sales season and recently reported that sales in the first 90 days of 2011 have surpassed those of the entire year in 2010. Not too shabby.

In light of all this activity, we definitely believe the worst is behind us and have true life experiences to back up those beliefs. So shed those blues from the last three years of a sagging real estate market. The best is yet to come.

The World Wide Web has re-established the idea of networking; now you’re not just meant to network within your own social and business sphere but must reach out to scores of unknown people with whom you have nothing in common just to gather points on a page.

Well, what’s wrong with that? The more people you can attract to review your message, the better. And with the economic downturn, all types of networking have become popular. The web is giving business owners more opportunity to connect with exactly who they want to do business with. In fact, it’s giving us the ability to do business with exactly who we want to do business with.

It’s important to begin with knowing who you want to have as your customer and then to know where to go to find them.

Outside of the social networking offered through cyberspace, people are drawn to regional and national networking meetings as a way to connect and meet people and increase business. The thing is, if you’re really serious about networking you need to do it where your customers largely reside. As examples: If you want the contract for the stucco work on a large commercial building you should figure out how to network with property management and condo associations as those folks are all potential clients. If sporting goods is your product, volunteer for Little League, not the senior citizens center.

If part of your networking agenda entails involvement in a for-profit or non-profit organization, go one step further and actually do something with the organization; don’t merely show up for meetings. Your involvement will be invaluable to people who will come to look at you as someone who will get the job done.

Even better, with the abilities on the Internet you can now find those people online and begin networking with them, until they feel comfortable enough with you, your message and your company to purchase what you have to sell. Whether networking on or offline the concepts are all the same. Find your customer, build a relationship with your customer and then they will make the decision to use your company when they are ready to buy.

Maintain your brand image

Maintaining your brand isn’t difficult; it’s like maintaining anything that’s near and dear to you: understand it, nurture it, anticipate when things will get tough and know when you’ve gone too far. Your brand is your baby and like all children, it needs to express what you want it to express; grow in the way you want it to grow and fulfill the promises you’ve stated, all under your gentle supervision. Brand Z recently published 25 ways to build a brand, we’ve taken the best of those and reworked the messages to reflect our thinking on the same subject.

To keep your brand relevant in the eyes of consumers, here are the top 10 things you should know:

1. Anticipate and understand change. This is true for the product as well as the core audience and target market. Anticipate change or you’ll be caught unaware when changes occur.
2. Be original and consistent. In today’s world we’re overloaded with messages. It’s important your brand is original and your message be brand specific. New trends are tempting and may drive sales in the short run but not all are good matches for your brand and your brand’s consumers.
3. Open lines of communication with customers. Social media has opened up a world in which consumers now make their opinions known … and these opinions are useful. Listen to your customers and to your salespeople.
4. Be open, honest and trustworthy, and this goes for everything from pricing to problems. Make sure there are no hidden messages or text. Coming out of the recession, people are mindful of how much they’re spending and what they’re buying. Build trust and deliver.
5. Today’s consumer appreciates durability, quality and heritage, and expects to purchase at a fair price. Deliver value.
6. Deliver a great experience. Happy clients and customers who will spread the word.
7. Protect your brand’s value and fulfill the brand’s promise. If you’re a hotel promising the lowest beachfront prices, that’s a promise you have to fulfill.
8. Be consistent and flexible in delivering your message across a variety of ad mediums.
9. Break the rules. What you did yesterday has a tendency to become the rule. Don’t make rules for the brand. Build guidelines, but cast rules aside. They won’t help your brand to grow.
10. Consumers respond to brands that offer something real and relevant to their lives. People are ready to act now; your brand should, too.

We’re back, baby.

According to Chief Economist Brad Hunter of MetroStudy, 2011 real estate sales throughout Southwest Florida is going strong.

According to a recent blog on MetroStudy: “To see where real estate is truly headed, it’s critical to keep your eye firmly on the fundamentals that, over time, always determine the course of prices and construction. During the last decade’s historic run-up in prices, Fortune repeatedly warned that things were moving too fast. In a cover story titled “Is the Housing Boom Over?” this writer’s analysis found that the basic forces that govern the market – the cost of owning vs. renting and the level of new construction – were in bubble territory. Eventually reality set in, and prices plummeted. Our current view focuses on those same fundamentals — only now they’re pointing in the opposite direction. So let’s state it simply and forcibly: Housing is back.”

The blog states that two basic factors are laying the foundation for dramatic recovery in residential real estate. The first is the historic drop in new construction. The second is a steep decline in prices: 30 percent nationwide since 2006, and as much as 55 percent in the hardest-hit markets. “The story of this downturn has been an astonishing flight from the traditional American approach of buying new houses to an embrace of renting. But the new affordability will gradually lure Americans back to buying homes. And the return of the homeowner will start raising prices in many markets this year.”

The blog continues that for the scenario to play out, the economy will have to shake itself out of its anemia, with job creation and consumer confidence being key factors in getting back to normal.

The blog also cites a new study by Deutsche Bank that measures affordability in two ways: first, the share of income Americans are paying to own a home. And second, the cost of owning vs. renting. “On the first metric, the analysis finds that homeowners now pay just 9.8 percent of their income in after-tax mortgage, tax, and insurance payments. That’s down from 17.2 percent at the bubble’s peak in 2007, and by far the lowest number in the Deutsche Bank database, going back to 1999. The second measure, the cost of owning compared with renting, should also inspire potential buyers. In 28 out of 54 major markets, it’s now cheaper to pay a mortgage and other major costs than to rent the same house.”

We’ve also heard a lot of buzz about the luxury real estate market heating up. Even though many are doing well with lower priced product, the high end ($2 million and up) has moved well in the past 30 days.

So keep your fingers crossed. Our long lost friend – the lucrative housing market – who showered us with a treasure trove and then left us alone and cold might be ready to turn the other cheek.

There’s nothing that can level the momentum of a good company and its products more than a ludicrous ad that promises the world and doesn’t even deliver a tiny patch of grass. In today’s society, people listen when you tell the truth and tune you out when you’re not.

The loud, obnoxious pitchman approach to advertising is a method of sales that the baby boomer generation finds quite distasteful. Remember images of the medicine salesmen from the Old West? Selling their hair tonics and promising a new head of hair within days? Or a remedy for every single ailment under the sun?

That’s the kind of hard sell that will make your customers run for the hills. As another, modern day example: If you’re selling a product that promises to reduce wrinkles or fade the signs of aging, that’s one thing. If you’re selling a product that promises to make the customer look 25 years younger, that’s not only impossible, it’s unbelievable, and to some, a little insulting.

There are FTC laws regulating deceptive advertising claims; an ad, according to the FTC’s Deception Policy Statement, is deceptive if it contains a statement – or omits information that is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances; and is “material” – that is important to a consumer’s decision to buy or use the product. In short, truth in advertising is very important in a skeptical world. Belief in your product is one of the main ways you keep customers coming back.

That’s not to say limits can’t be pushed. But you have to know when to stop. Connect with your customer on an emotional level and be as truthful and honest as you can. You’ll reap the rewards and develop a loyal following.

Nothing is what it used to be and this thought rings a poignant note in the world of ad agencies. As the economy and social fabric of the world have changed, so has the client-agency role, with clients doing more of the demanding and agencies doing more of the nodding.

This is far different from what it was even five or six years ago when the economy was rolling along and advertising agencies could do whatever they wanted. Outside-the-box thinking was rewarded through new business, repeat business, and top dollar billings. In today’s economy, advertisers across the board are watching the bottom line, whether their budget is $5,000 or $5 million. Which means our pencils are sharper and our sensitivities somewhat more numb.

This is not to say that the days of off-the-wall advertising are over. Good creative still has a loyal following but it’s not as easy as it once used to be. Clients are so fearful these days about not seeing a return on their investment they’re acting as their own art and creative directors. And for those agencies that have prided themselves on their creative abilities, it is a difficult pill to swallow.

But whether you believe the meek shall inherit the earth or not, we maintain that as the keeper of the brand and as someone sitting on the outside looking in, agencies must also voice an opinion when they feel their client is off track with its message. Our rule of thumb is to go back to a client twice if we disagree with their direction. After the second time (and once in a while a third if we’re really committed to our message), we state our position but agree to bow to the client’s wishes. This new approach is hardest on people who’ve been in the business a long time who are highly skilled and highly talented and know what truly makes a great ad. But exceptional creative that has no market can build a book but not a business.

Billboards may look like the perfect place to wax eloquently about everything your company does. But don’t pen your great American success story just yet. In the case of billboards less is more.

Despite the size of the canvas, the fewest words have the most dramatic impact. There is a tendency for people to think of a billboard in the same manner they do a print ad. The result? A big mess with everything in it but the kitchen sink. In fact, there should be no more than seven to eight words on a billboard.

Because you only have a little over two seconds to capture a driver’s attention,
billboard advertising should not be used as the primary engine of an advertising strategy. They’re more of a recall medium, designed to piggyback on an overall print, broadcast or online advertising campaign. The billboard needs to be a part of a family of advertising mediums. If ‘Joe Consumer’ reads a full-page ad in the newspaper and, as he’s barreling down I-75, sees a billboard carrying the same – or similar – message, something will click. And if the message is delivered well, it will etch a lasting place in the consumer’s mind.

However, it’s not only the words that need to be finessed – it’s the colors and the visuals. If you’re attracted to rich tone-on-tone colors in your home, save it for your bedroom not your billboard .

A billboard’s colors need to be high contrast, such as yellow and black, which are best for visibility. A case in point is pest control giant Truly Nolen, whose corporate colors are black, yellow and red. They’ve built an image across the country with a brand and image building campaign using three simple words on their billboards. Other ways to put billboard advertising to use is as a directional: next exit, turn left. Photography’s doable but the image better be strong.

However you convey your billboard message, remember this colloquialism that speaks volumes in the world of advertising: short, sweet and simple.