Today, Microsoft generates $212 billion and is involved in far more than computers. It generates billions of dollars annually through federal cloud contracts alone, and has significant other revenue in everything from its Bing search engine to video games and AI.

It’s difficult to remember that Microsoft once was only known for personal computers, or that its first revenue came from providing software to IBM. That’s because Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen achieved their brand vision – to make personal computers accessible to everyone – and matured the Microsoft story right along with the company’s growth.

Every successful company tells a story. Smart modern start-ups do this quite well, especially with marketing tools dropping barriers to access almost to zero and the popularity of “thought leadership” and “influencer marketing.” But where many start-ups fail is:

• Understanding that their most powerful story is not (just) the founder’s. It is the company’s mission and its leaders’ vision that create change and scalable growth, much like Bill Gates’ powerful personal story about dropping out of college and building computers in garages was a distant second to the Gates-Allen vision.

• Maturing the brand story as the company grows. A PC software firm wouldn’t have invented the XBox or invested billions into OpenAI. But Microsoft did.

Many one- and two-person companies believe it’s enough to turn on the lights and say “we have a business.” And they’re right, if they want to remain small. Companies that want to gross $20 million, $50 million, $100 million in annual revenue, however, have to tell customers not just what it does but why – in a way that customers will care, even as the brand itself matures and changes.

Here’s how to think about your brand story, from before the first sale to when you lead your market.

Brand strategy before the first sale

Businesses that don’t effectively communicate brand value to investors or customers typically go out of business. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that only a third of small businesses survive more than ten years.

A lot of the reason for that is many start-ups fail to think about their brand story long before the first dollar is earned. You can call yourself an IT company – but there are about a million of those around. Is your specialty the customer service experience or the technical side of things? Are you focusing on cybersecurity or a different part of the IT world? And are you servicing government entities, enterprise-scale businesses, or small businesses?

Also, where does the founder want the company to go? Are you looking to sell fast, become a public company, stay in one industry or expand to many?

Each of these considerations requires its own strategic thought process to establish the right logo, name, tagline, URL, website design, initial customer base, and initial marketing tests. Otherwise, you’ll only stand out because you’ll be #OpenToWork on LinkedIn.

Building to takeoff speed

Like Microsoft, Apple had a history of a plucky start-up founded by geeks in garages who would one day dominate the business world. However, while Microsoft’s Windows platform made it a market leader with everyday users, Apple remained a niche brand for nerds and graphic designers for decades.

That’s not to say Apple wasn’t a major brand either – nearly $10 billion in revenue in 1996 is nothing to sneeze at. But it wasn’t until the company rehired founder Steve Jobs, who led the development of iOS, that Apple realized hockey stick growth and became one of the most powerful brands in the world.

What Apple didn’t do was compete with Windows for desktop or laptop revenue. The iOS operating software allowed it to reimagine how a phone could be reimagined to become an integral life accessory for nearly every waking (and resting, and working) minute of the day. This would transform the smartphone concept from a piece of business hardware ubiquitous with the Blackberry brand to a personal assistant device that leaving home without would become unthinkable.

And while the iPhone accounts for nearly half of Apple’s current revenues, the device and the iOS platform are drivers for the rest of the company’s offerings. Think about the iMac, iPad, and iWatch – then consider the seamless bridge for all of these devices through the iCloud. The concert of connectivity induces consumers to immerse themselves under one brand umbrella thereby encouraging long term brand loyalty and sustained growth as new products emerge. That’s why Apple’s latest annual revenues topped $390 billion – an exponential increase from what the company generated in the decades before iOS.

Maturation and expansion

The strongest brands aren’t stagnant – they evolve to meet customer expectations and adjust to market demands. For example, Chick-fil-A used to differentiate from the burger-oriented fast-food industry with cows encouraging you to “eat mor chickin” and by closing on Sundays. But as it sought nationwide expansion both geographically and beyond its Christian customer base – as well as to overcome controversy associated with its President’s political leanings – the company navigated brand maturation in a way that broadens its appeal to new audiences while maintaining the wholesomeness valued by its core customers.

In 2018, the company launched an award-winning ad campaign – The Little Things – highlighting stories of heart-warming interactions between customers and employees that capitalize on the company’s customer-friendly reputation. This came on top of the company’s continual Top 5 wins for most polite and favorite fast-food chain lists, and its industry-leading profit-per-restaurant.

As one commentator put it, Chick-fil-A has prioritized eliminating pain points, building an effective team, and maximizing the customer experience. Yes, the company has the industry’s longest drive-thru lines, but customers keep returning anyway.

Chick-fil-A stuck in a single industry providing the same services as it expanded. Amazon, on the other hand, has become possibly the world’s most diverse company. And as it has expanded, its brand story has changed right along with its size. The origin story was Jeff Bezos dreaming up the company concept on a sales trip, selling books to get Amazon’s foot into the door of online retail, and then achieving global penetration as an online shopping platform.

And that would be great if Amazon was just a company that delivers things. However, Amazon is a delivery company that funnels new customers into its service ecosystem through diverse touch points. In 2017, Amazon acquired brick-and-mortar Whole Foods and integrated the premium grocer into its ecommerce platform, allowing a new customer base to take advantage of the company’s delivery network and skip in-person trips. Amazon also acquired MGM Studios to take ownership of the massive entertainment archive and provide a greater value offering for Prime members. The result is two new audience segments that Amazon can now touch for marketing its bread and butter online retail business.

And that’s just Amazon’s retail businesses. Its cloud computing subsidiary, AWS, has over 2 million business customers and controls 50% of the cloud computing market share.

None of this happened by accident. Bezos always wanted Amazon to provide everything. It just took time to get there. Today, if you remember Amazon was just books only 20 years ago – you’re rare. Most people think Amazon is Big Tech.

Market dominance

Brand maturation, or lack thereof, is intertwined with a brand’s narrative arc. Enterprises unable to further develop their brand often stagnate or go out of business, while more robust and mature brands are a value add for profitable sale of the business when the time comes.

But, occasionally, a brand makes the leap to become a true market leader.

Take the National Football League, for example, which practically owns a day of the week, 18 weeks a year. Over 100 million people tune in to watch a single game each February and the league’s revenue is 50% above that of the nearest U.S. sport. Its brand power has allowed the league to shrug off major crises and controversies such as accusations of covering up the effects of head injuries and player-led protests that became political lightning rods.

That’s because the NFL’s business model has become more than just selling tickets and games on TV. The league has aggressively pursued new markets scheduling annual games in London, UK and games in Germany, Spain, Mexico, and Brazil. In 2022, the NFL launched the International Home Marketing Areas initiative to develop fanbases for each franchise in international cities. The league has also partnered with the sports betting industry and promoted the fantasy football cultural phenomenon to generate wider appeal with casual audiences.

From start-up to dominance: what’s your brand story?

When Bill Gates started Microsoft, it was all about software for PCs. Amazon started out as an online book delivery company, and Chick-fil-A was just a burger joint that didn’t sell burgers.

Each of them became a behemoth on the back of leadership’s brand vision and mission. And as they grew and changed, their brand story also matured – but the vision only changed once it was achieved.

This piece was originally published at TabbFORUM by Dustin Siggins and Renee Frojo. 

Companies which use surround-sound marketing seek to create this same immersive effect with prospective customers and those prospects’ influencers. The goal is to reach all target markets with the right messages at the right times so they become part of your sales funnel. No matter which way prospects and influencers look, your message will be there.

How does surround-sound marketing work in the real world? We interviewed a federal government contractor, a paint industry influencer, and a Catholic podcaster about how it created success for their enterprises.

Turning a big ship

Deepak Hathiramani founded Vistronix as a technology contractor firm. When market shifts slowed the company’s growth, he pivoted the company to the national security space. This required a wholesale rebranding strategy, including but not limited to:

• Acquiring national security firms to increase Vistronix’s competencies and customer base.
• Hosting events, producing white papers, and securing speaking opportunities to build brand credibility.
• Using media coverage, social media, and other marketing and branding tools to build messaging buzz.

Hathiramani’s surround-sound strategy put Vistronix in front of industry influencers and experts, customers and potential customers, and – after six years – a buyer who saw Vistronix’s value as a mid-tier national security firm. Without the acquisitions, Vistronix would have had good messaging and marketing but no substance. But without the brand credibility and messaging buzz, Vistronix would have just been another national security firm. It took the whole package to make the strategy work.

Changing industries

Much of Stacey Sumereau’s professional life has been spent in front of national audiences. First, she was a Broadway singer who performed in 70 cities and before 200,000 people. Now, she’s a podcaster who speaks around the country and has organized virtual conferences which drew 20,000 people.

The transition between these very different brands took place almost by accident. Sumereau was considering the convent after leaving Broadway, when LifeTime asked her to be on the reality TV show “The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns.” She ended up on “The Today Show,” “Fox and Friends” and “Access Hollywood,” which set the stage for paid speeches to Catholic audiences around America. Sumereau’s podcast launched a few years later.

Sumereau’s accidental surround-sound strategy was a TV show which led to national media coverage and credibility-building speaking opportunities. Without her current podcast, however, Sumereau’s success would have been a blip on the radar. Instead, eight years after leaving Broadway, Sumereau continues to be a sought-after speaker and sponsored podcast host.

Starting from scratch

Eighteen months ago, Tony Piloseno was a college student who worked a part-time paint sales job and had a passion for mixing paint on TikTok. Then, he got fired, and became the most viral paint story of the decade.

Like Sumereau, Piloseno’s star could have flared brightly and then disappeared. Instead, he became a paint-mixing entrepreneur and influencer whose videos were seen 100 million times in 2021. His Instagram following grew from 29,000 to 173,000, and he went from zero YouTube followers to almost three-quarters of a million. His brand is so dynamic that national organizations like T-Mobile, the Orlando Magic, and Behr paint want to be associated with him.

Piloseno’s surround-sound strategy was to spread his videos on the platforms which reach his target demographics. It’s working – he was recently on CNBC, national brands sponsor his videos, and paint consumers buy from his Tonester Paints online store.

Surround-sound marketing can work for you

No matter your industry, the principles of surround-sound marketing and branding can work for you. You just have to figure out your buyers, your buyers’ influencers, what they all want to hear, and what mediums should spread your message. Then, you’re off to the races!

Kingsley knew that his brand had hidden value. He uncovered and dramatically expanded that value through three simple steps:

• Leaning into his brand’s existing success
• Focusing his scarce resources on success without distraction
• Using effective communications to expand his target market while staying on-brand

Let’s explore each of these critical components of uncovering your brand’s hidden value. Further analysis and other case studies on each of these areas can be seen in our recent published work at Forbes.com (lean into existing success), Newsweek (stay focused and on-brand), and The Washington Post (expand your brand value and target market while staying on-brand).

Lean into your existing brand success

You can’t expand your brand unless you know what it is. The Kabari Wellness Institute initially found success by targeting people who had specific, niche health needs as part of a limited “health and wellness” brand. That success gave evidence that a brand variation focused on the general population would drive more revenue under the same umbrella while increasing the pool of clients for the initial chiropractor and muscle activation businesses.

The latest expansion took the first two successes and expanded the “health and wellness” brand and its target markets to business owners. The first two target markets are now bigger than ever because those business owners bring in their own clients, which puts them in touch with the Institute’s other branded operations. And the third target market requires little effort while bringing in significant money and turning the Institute from another gym or chiropractor office into a local hub of health and wellness offerings.

The key to the Institute’s success wasn’t chiropractic services and branding. It was a health and wellness brand which included chiropractic services. This same process is available to companies in a host of other industries. You can brand an accounting firm as a “tax service” company…or a financial strategy firm which lives up to that brand promise. You can brand a restaurant as a place for food…or as a place to find great experiences through food, drinks, events, and music.

As we described at Forbes.com, the best way to expand the definition of your brand is to lean into what works. But you have to first know what you’re branding.

Stay disciplined and focused

The Kabari Wellness Institute has disciplined, laser-like focus on its health and wellness brand. It doesn’t rent to lawyers, car repair shops, or music tutors because any short-term revenue gains would be offset by the brand distraction.

Kingsley also doesn’t let critics drag him down. But success is the best brand for a business, so he and his team have stayed focused on building a brand and an infrastructure that proves itself.

Lastly, the Institute doesn’t get distracted by off-brand messages. For example, as we highlighted at Newsweek, companies which get involved in politics often spend a lot of time, money, and human capital on crisis communications instead of signing new deals, hiring more people, and making more money. By staying on-message and on-brand, the Institute has created significant value for the community’s small businesses and health care customers – far more than it could through off-brand messages that at best waste resources, and at most risk driving away potential and existing customers.

Clearly communicate

The Kabari Wellness Institute used to define “health and wellness company” as “chiropractor and niche muscle activation services.” That brand has expanded twice. But the language hasn’t changed because the brand hasn’t changed – it’s just expanded.

Clear, on-brand communication ensures continuity of the company’s mission, focus, and use of scarce resources. Amazon’s growth from books to everything didn’t change the company’s flywheel – it just expanded it. The same is true for the accounting firm which initially offered tax services four months a year and expanded to providing year-round financial strategy consulting.

This is a key growth principle no matter what your brand is. We urged politicians in The Washington Post who want to represent “all” of their constituents to expand their “electability” and “representation” brands by clearly communicating a message that will increase their ability to reach their target market – voters.

The value is there – go find it

Businesses survive because they add value to the marketplace. Those that thrive often find new ways to add value to their existing operations. The best way to add new value is to stick to what you know best. That’s what Kingsley did, and it’s turned him into a successful entrepreneur, medical professional, and landlord.

Where’s the new value in your business? Go uncover it.

I didn’t know it then, but Jack is deliberate about his bespoke attire. He’s senior partner in a top Northern Virginia law firm, Chairman of the Board of a business club, and recently testified to Congress. If he’s not well-dressed, he’s losing credibility, influence, and business opportunities.

But Jack doesn’t spend extra money on his socks. Colorful socks are a bonding opportunity between Jack and his daughter. They spend time every evening matching his multi-colored socks with his ties. And Jack doesn’t spend extra money on his shoes. He recently told me that he has re-soled one pair of shoes three times rather than purchasing new ones, because he liked the shoes. “Why waste money on a whole shoe, when the uppers are just fine?” he said.

Separately, I once saw him humbly ask the new, young temp worker at the front desk if he could leave his top hat with her while he went into a lunch meeting. Asked, mind you – the most senior member of the board of governors of the establishment asked the most junior employee within the club hierarchy to do this, instead of demanding it.

Jack’s three-piece suit is an investment to help his business succeed. Expensive socks, new shoes, and elitism are not. This essay will explore the connection between business finance and personal finance, and how making the right decisions in both of these areas leads to far greater financial gains for companies, their leaders, and the families of company leaders.

Corporate jets and old chairs

Socks and shoes may not cost a lot, but they are the heart of proper financial investments. Jim Collins’ classic Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t makes this quite clear. Collins and his team spent five years researching what helped good corporations become great. One important financial principle was eliminating unnecessary expenses and reinvesting saved dollars. To quote Collins, “the budget process is…about determining which activities…should be fully strengthened and which should be eliminated entirely.” Good to Great contrasts the executive financial decisions Wells Fargo and Bank of America made in the 1980s:

• Wells Fargo replaced the “executive corporate dining room…with a college dorm food-service caterer.” The corporate jets were sold, green plants were considered too expensive to water, and the executive elevator was closed. Executives no longer got free coffee or company-paid Christmas trees, and CEO Carl Reichardt demanded the elimination of expensive binders on reports. Reichardt would also “sit through meetings…in a beat-up old chair with the stuffing hanging out.”
• Contrast this with Bank of America. The executives’ building had “…oriental rugs and floor-to-ceiling windows…” The elevator went from the executive suite to the main level, skipping the inconvenience of stopping at other floors. And even as the company was losing hundreds of millions of dollars per year, reports Collins, “sell the corporate jet” was rejected as a money-saving solution.

Bank of America and Wells Fargo had similar growth patterns from 1973 to 1983. But a dollar invested in Wells Fargo in 1984 was worth more than $74 in 1998, while a dollar invested in Bank of America the same year was worth less than $16 in 1998 – less than even if the same dollar was invested in the general stock market during those same 15 years.

Collins’ steel industry examples are similarly enlightening – Nucor’s success from 1975 to 1990 outpaced Bethlehem Steel’s to the point where a dollar invested in Nucor at the beginning of that time period was worth 200 times more than a dollar invested in Bethlehem Steel at the end of the period. Here are their differences in spending choices, as described by Collins:

• Nucor’s success from 1975 to 1990 was in part based upon eliminating “hierarchical inequality” between management and workers. With annual revenue of $3.5 billion, its corporate staff totaled 25 people, and all of those people were “crammed into a rented office the size of a small dental practice.” The corporate dining room was a nearby sandwich shop, and “cheap veneer furniture” was in the “closet”-sized lobby of company HQ.
• In the same time period, Bethlehem Steel had “a fleet of corporate aircraft” which were used for “taking executives’ children to college,” a golf course for executives, and a country club which was renovated with corporate money.

Both Wells Fargo and Nucor outpaced their competitors during the time periods in question. But they didn’t just save money. Wells Fargo invested in being an “early leader in twenty-four-hour banking by phone, early adopter of ATMs,” and a “pioneer in Internet and electronic banking.” It also “hired [and invested in] outstanding people,” many of whom went “on to become CEO of a major company.” Nucor “pioneered application of the most advanced mini-mill steel manufacturing technology” and invested in other technologies even as it “paid…steelworkers more than any other steel company in the world.”

Jack White, Nucor, and Wells Fargo know that investing where it matters is what creates success. Anything else is just a waste of money.

The personal finance corollary to business financial discipline

One of the great outcomes of running a successful firm is the money that comes along with it. But for a small business owner with long-term vision and goals, compensation should “reflect commitment to the company,” says American Gutter Monkeys co-founder and partner Dennis Siggins*. Dennis and his partner take mid-five-figure salaries while running a multi-million-dollar business, and this choice has resulted in several positive outcomes:

• The company has reinvested salary savings into purchases of company vehicles and buildings, paying staff far more than the competition, and opening new locations – all without going into debt, and often by offering cash for purchases.
• After six years, the company has nearly 10,000 often-returning customers and annual revenues of several million dollars.
• The partners’ eventual income from selling the successful company will far outweigh short-term salary income.

“Andy and I do not take salaries that reflect our value to the company. Instead, we take salaries which reflect our commitment to the company,” said Dennis. “We reinvest as much money as possible into the business. Instead of padding our personal financial portfolios, where we may earn 8% – 11% in the market, we keep our salaries small and turn as much possible revenue back into the company, which continues to grow at 25% – 30% annually.”

American Gutter Monkeys’ partners know that keeping their salaries low as their success grows will pay long-term dividends. Tom Brady follows the same principle; the greatest NFL player of all time has taken modest salaries for years to create “a competitive advantage” to put “a lot of good players around me.” Similarly, most of Michael Jordan’s $93 million in earnings as a player were made in his last two seasons with the Chicago Bulls — and those earnings are paltry compared to a personal brand that is worth $1.9 billion today and continues to earn over $145 million annually.

Dennis is my father, and both Jordan’s and Brady’s salaries are public knowledge. I don’t know what Jack White makes in a year, but he certainly hasn’t increased his sock budget even as his suits stand out. But these anecdotes match Collins’ research – Good to Great highlights how executives who built great companies 35 years ago put the company first by taking executive compensation packages which, to use Dennis’ term, “reflect[ed]…commitment to the company” over their own short-term self-aggrandizement.

The principle of putting tomorrow’s brand value over today’s salary may seem counter-intuitive. It certainly will be painful. But it is the successful principle implemented by bank and steel executives who ran billions-dollar firms that crushed the competition; two of America’s greatest and wealthiest athletes; and successful small business owners who climb ladders in jeans and argue case law in three-piece suits, respectively.

The questions now is how to make sure your salary “reflects…commitment to the company” until you depart ownership. Let’s turn now to another research-based book, Thomas Stanley’s 2009 Stop Acting Rich…and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire. Stanley’s pre-Great Recession research showed that most self-made millionaires live in the nicest homes in modest neighborhoods. They hold onto their cars longer than most other people, prefer visiting family and friends over little-used vacation homes, and hold onto their shoes for years.

Perhaps the most important financial choices self-made millionaires make relate to home purchases. They first save on the price of their residence by buying modestly. USAA’s mortgage calculator shows that buying a $500,000 home with a 20 percent down payment at 4% interest costs $1,909.66 per month for 30 years, while a $600,000 home with a 20% down payment and a 4% interest rate costs $2,291.59. This equates to $381.93 in additional mortgage payments per month.

But home ownership also comes with taxes – which are higher for bigger properties. It comes with utility bills, which are higher for bigger homes. Bigger homes and properties come with higher costs for ground maintenance, home maintenance, and home repairs. Double it for the cost of a vacation home, and now each home at $500,000 is costing someone $22,915.92 per year in mortgage costs alone. You and your significant other can skip the vacation house, go on an 11-day trip to Egypt three times in 2021, and still have thousands of dollars left over — before building in vacation house taxes, utilities, repairs, and maintenance.

To summarize the next two sub-sections: small business owners and partners can keep their eye on their long-term brand value by living like real millionaires.

Don’t build personal debt along the way

A business owner with significant personal debt cannot take a small salary, unless you want to run the company from bankruptcy court. Many small business owners take small salaries at first – but tastes often grow as salaries increase.

There are three financial implications to getting lean by eliminating or avoiding ownership’s personal debt. First, selling unnecessary personal items like an extra car or boat will create an immediate influx of cash which can become working capital for the company. Second, any loans that were held against these items will be paid off, eliminating the recurring monthly payments. Third, the extra financial strain of keeping these items (insurance, registration, fuel, maintenance, etc.) is removed. 

But, you say, I worked hard! I earned that boat, car, or other item. My blood, sweat, and tears went into building a successful company – and I deserve a little reward.

That is undoubtedly true. Nobody runs a company just for the fun of working weekends and late nights, and not enjoying life means you’re at a job again. The question to ask is whether going into debt – whether the $500 per month for the car, the $2,000 for the new mortgage, or the $381 for the bigger mortgage – are worth slowing the company’s growth by forcing you to put your salary in front of the company’s needs.

Remember, Cape Cod Gutter Monkeys uses salary reinvestments to buy whole buildings and vehicles with cash. Tom Brady kept his salary small 18 years after entering the NFL to build a powerful brand and future revenue streams that will last long after he retires. Successful owners should follow their lead even as the company’s success grows.

Remove day-to-day financial distractions

One of the secondary benefits of eliminating personal debt is elimination of the small costs of registering, insuring, and fueling a vehicle; country club memberships and correlated meals and drinks; or fancy socks and new shoes. These extras are the perks of success. But they are an additional – and often unnecessary – financial burden on your company. A few hundred dollars a month isn’t much, unless you have four or five of them to deal with. Now we’re starting to talk about real money – money spent distracting you from investing in the company, and time spent pulling you away from growing the firm.

Nobody can or should eliminate all financial distractions. Laundry machines cost money to buy and use – but their costs save hours of hand-washing and hanging to dry. Jack’s suit contributes to his company’s financial success. A nice meal can be relaxing, as can a Netflix account or an annual family trip. But, whether you’re a neophyte who needs to get the company up and running or a successful owner who’s at risk of being spoiled at company expense, determining the difference between necessary and unnecessary financial distractions is key. The former will improve your life; the latter should be eliminated.

Delayed gratification is the winning strategy

Delayed gratification is the key strategy for most of life’s success. Athletes and Navy SEALS put themselves through grueling workouts so they can perform when it counts. Young people are encouraged to invest early in retirement to take advantage of compounding interest. And a business owner’s salary should “reflect…commitment to the company” by delaying personal gratification to compound the company’s, and eventually the owner’s, wealth. 

Warren Buffett has lived this principle for over 60 years. He still lives in the same house purchased with his wife in 1958, and his $100,000 annual salary has been consistent for decades. Yes, he’s a billionaire – but most of that wealth comes from shares in Berkshire Hathaway. Like Tom Brady, like the American Gutter Monkeys, presumably like Jack White – Buffett’s wealth and the company’s wealth have grown hand-in-hand, not in conflict with each other.

The question for a business owner, from the moment the company launches until the day he or she leaves the company, is whether his or her salary should reflect “commitment to the company.” The answer is clear, and it’s how to become a real millionaire whether you wear jerseys, jeans, or pink-and-yellow socks under three-piece suits.

*Dennis Siggins is also involved in Proven Media Solutions.

The first study is Edelman’s Brand Trust In 2020 special report. Forty-four percent of consumers said that seeing positive press would help them choose a brand. Conversely, 51 percent of respondents said negative press would drive them away from a brand!

The other study showed that one positive media mention drove 19 percent of consumers to visit a company’s site. After 10 positive media placements, 85 percent of survey respondents had visited a company’s site.

What is means for you is that getting in the press drives customers to enter your sales funnel. A thought leadership op-ed in the right outlet, an interview with a trusted media gatekeeper, or a press release announcing major company news can be the first step towards customers purchasing your products or services.

We get these kinds of results for clients all the time. From website visits to real dollars to reaching key influencers, we can help you grow sales and increase market influence. Our proven process for success and our good-faith pledge will help you understand how we work and why we’ve succeeded with diverse clients in the financial, technology, and political spaces. We’ll also help you avoid bad press — the kind that drives customers away.

Are you ready to take the first step towards reaching and influencing target markets? Contact us today.

We are advising our clients and colleagues to take a counter-intuitive approach to survival: double down on marketing & branding to retain customers, gain market share, and stand out with a unique brand.

First: Stop the bleeding

Desperation breeds creative problem-solving – and few businesses are as desperate as they have been in the last 45 days. Even “essential” businesses are seeing clients and customers disappear due to uncertainty, sudden losses of funding, and fear of coronavirus infections.

It’s hard to see opportunity when customers are bailing, so stem the tide by proving greater value to current clients. This core of your business may not last, so earning more of their business is a both a survival tactic and a best practice.

“Somewhere between 20% and 70% of new customers will decide to stop doing business with you in the first 100 days” of a contract, customer retention expert Joey Coleman recently told us in an interview. Reversing that trend by just five percent often increases profits by 25 percent to 100 percent because “each dollar spent by an existing customer becomes more profitable, and there is no need to spend as much money on sales, marketing, and acquisition.”

In a time when customers are few and revenue is low, Coleman’s approach is the perfect tourniquet for small businesses. Learn more here.

Second: Maintain or increase your marketing budget

One industry which is collapsing during the crisis is advertising. Companies large and small – local theaters and car dealerships to major sports leagues and Disney World – are pulling scarce dollars from newspapers, online, TV, and radio.

This means that supply-and-demand favors the small business owner who chooses to advertise against the tide. Online marketing guru Neil Patel recently encouraged this approach because online ads are cheaper but getting more clicks. Statista specifically noted that Facebook’s average cost-per-click in March was nine cents compared to 11 cents in January. And my business partner is receiving 65 percent more radio ad space than normal — for free! – with one of his companies solely because his firm is not pulling ads from the airwaves.

What this means for small businesses is that just maintaining your current marketing budget brings more value than ever; increasing your marketing when your competitors are doing the opposite could make you the go-to company now and when the economy opens up again.

Third: Stand out with your customers, staff, and network

When everyone else is abandoning marketing, just being present to current and potential buyers gives you a huge advantage. You are the one-eyed man (or woman) on the island of the blind.

Here are four ways to turn today’s marketing into unique long-term branding:

• Take advantage of social distancing to establish deep personal relationships with customers. Check in on how people are doing with their work, health, and families. Earn “know, like, and trust” now so that when the economy opens up, you are their first and only option.

Read more on this strategy from revenue generation specialist Susan Trivers.

• Offer low-cost, high-value services or products.
• Business consultants like financial advisors and PR professionals can provide tailored, COVID-specific strategies to get clients through the current crisis – and earn trust that turns into months or years-long consulting contracts.

• Provide COVID-specific value to your community. Businesses large and small are doing exactly that, and getting significant publicity locally, statewide, and nationally. And whether your distillery is now producing hand sanitizer, you’re feeding medical personnel, or you’re giving savings back to customers, your target market will notice.

• Recommend best practices which clients can use until they hire your company. One PR firm sent a white paper on the industry’s adjustment to the COVID-19 crisis; a law firm’s e-mail newsletter provides valuable analyses of the public policy response to the crisis; and one of my firm’s clients is helping its small business customers navigate the changing financial landscape.

Survival requires thinking differently

Getting through the current crisis may require radically going against the tide. By investing in current buyers, increasing outreach to customers who will become buyers, and seeking to be unique in the marketplace, your odds of survival will increase and you’ll create a strong foundation for long-term success.

This too shall pass. Contact us today to increase your chances of being there when it does.

The first is that Super Bowls are unattainable if all you have is a great quarterback. Brady didn’t win Super Bowl LIV. That was Patrick Mahomes, whose team was in the Top Five last year for total offense, passing, and defense against the rush. Brady, meanwhile, struggled all year with poor receivers, a weak offensive line, and slightly reduced skills.

The successful CEO likewise will find, attract, and develop the right team to win regular season, then playoff, and finally Super Bowl-level contracts. There may be some hiccups, challenges, and failures along the way, but the company will thrive under leadership that knows how to create follower-leaders.

The second reason comes from the first: winning creates immense brand value. By reinvesting salary cap space to the rest of the roster, Brady and the Patriots kept winning Super Bowls. Brady stayed healthy enough to break all sorts of records.

The business version of this is done by the world’s top CEOs. Warren Buffett earns $100,000 per year, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey earns just one dollar per year. But they both invest heavily in their companies’ successes through tomorrow’s stock options and other earnings opportunities. Their delayed gratification strategy has turned their company’s brands into their personal brands – just like Brady is much more than just the Patriots’ quarterback, and Jordan is more than just an aged former basketball player.

Small business owners can begin this delayed gratification strategy on Day One of their company’s life cycle. This has a number of benefits to the company’s long-term success:

• The company will have little or no debt.
• Cash reserves will be high for planned and unplanned purchases
• “Salary cap” space can be used to build the right team.
• The company is protected from slow seasons and recessions.

•  There is room for mistakes like hiring the wrong person. 
•  The CEO has an emotional cushion to focus on long-term strategy instead of worrying about next month’s payroll.

For the disciplined and successful business owner, this patient discipline will pay off over time. A modest salary now could turn into a much larger salary several years into the company’s life cycle. Or, for the classic small business like an inn or restaurant, the owner’s financial windfall may happen when he or she sells and retires.

This message may be most important for entrepreneurs under the age of 35, who have grown up watching people like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg become wealthy before the age of 30. However, one study found that the average self-made millionaire doesn’t reach that lofty perch until they have worked for 32 years. Stop Acting Rich…And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire author Timothy Stanley wrote that his mid-aughts research showed the average self-made millionaire reaches that status in their mid-forties.

Jordan made about $90 million as a player – he’s worth over 20 times that now. Brady is on that same path to success. The small business owner can emulate them by using modest salaries to set the stage for much larger payoffs later.

Here are three ways to prepare for next year’s press success today.

Develop real media relationships

Media gatekeepers receive hundreds of e-mails each day and dozens of phone calls each week. Getting through to them requires great subject lines and phenomenal content. But for those media outlets which are key to reaching and influencing your target markets, you must also develop real, personal relationships.

This takes time. It may start with a cold call and meeting over coffee. Perhaps a reporter will want to introduce you to their editor, who is the real decision-maker on whether to highlight your work.

Your job in these meetings is to show how your story is interesting and valuable. Show the gatekeeper how your story solves their challenge to develop and deliver quality material to their readers, viewers, or listeners.

Media relationships are like any other — they take time, sincerity, and putting the other person first. And, yes, it might take a year to develop all of that.

Know the industry calendar

Accountants don’t have an easy job. However, they benefit from tax day being April 15 each and every year. Accountants are therefore able to time press placements, social media advertising, and videos months in advance.

What is your seasonality? What industry conferences and similar events are taking place and when? Does Congress regularly impact your industry, or do impactful reports get issued by industry leaders on a predictable basis? Once you know what your industry looks like — nationally, locally, and within your specific market niche — you can tailor your press strategy in advance with greater specificity and success.

What already works?

Whether you’re an accountant or a home builder, there is always a season to your business. Use the past to predict the future by looking at what already works and improving it. Did you get one trade industry placement which turned cold introductions into warm introductions at a conference — and, weeks later, one of those introductions led to a client capture? If that meets your definition of “success,” aim for two placements next time and an exclusive interview with an industry player.

Knowing what worked and continuing to revise your press strategies in light of new information is the key to success.

Seasonality is our specialty

Proven Media Solutions specializes in creating timely, tailored messages for our clients. Contact us today to begin next year’s press, social media, and branding strategies to reach and influence yourtarget markets.

However, Hill’s catch was just 12 seconds out of 3,600 during the game — one-third of one percent of the day’s work which led to victory.

Brands are built the same way. Getting into The New York Times looks great, but are you ready to capitalize on it? Is a big client extra money this month or the start to securing a lot of big clients?

Hill’s catch would have been just a footnote today if his team had not been prepared. Success came from a whole season and post-season of coaching, playing, and training together.

Success is what happens when nobody is looking. The Super Bowl wasn’t won in the 11 to 12 minutes during which the ball was moving. It was won in huddles and on the sideline during the other 49 minutes of play, and in the game’s four hours of television time. It was won in the 23 games the Chiefs played this season and in the six-month off-season when players were drafted and traded.

Your brand is the same way. Everyone see’s today’s big catch. But your brand won’t change unless you can turn it into bigger success tomorrow. You need to recruit, train, and create strategies. Then you need to execute again and again.

We can help you accomplish your personal Super Bowl. Contact us today to get started.

Now you must ask: Are you investing enough money in your brand? While a lot of things are free, at some point growth will be limited unless you invest time, money, or both.

Investing scarce dollars into uncertain returns scan be scary. However, it’s also necessary. Here are three ways to ensure that you’re truly putting your money where your brand is.

Use your tools correctly

Networking can be one of the most powerful weapons in a small business owner’s arsenal. But if your target market is firms grossing $100 million per year, the free local networking event is probably a waste.

Reaching your target market may require spendings thousands of dollars traveling to a conference, staying at a hotel, and sponsoring the conference.

The same is true with radio advertising. It may be the right tactic to reach your target market, but perhaps you should spend the extra money to be in the rush-hour slots instead of the 3 a.m. slot.

And, finally, posting on Facebook and LinkedIn is free. Maximizing these tools is not. One is a low-level tactic; the other requires strategic investments.

Your time is money

Bad networking can cost a CEO well over $100,000 annually in lost time and opportunity. The same is true with other marketing concerns — for example, should a busy CEO craft his or her marketing collateral, or should someone else handle that responsibility?

Remember: your time is money. And just as most of us hire mechanics for our cars and plumbers for home leaks, it may be worth the investment to hire outside experts or new staff so that you can focus on your best value to your organization. Whatever you decide to do, remember that your time is valuable.

Establish goals and compare results

Some investments won’t work out. However, you can’t know if an investment has been worth it unless you establish goals and look at results.

For example, did investing $5,000 in rush-hour ads bring in the revenue you wanted? If not, is this because the ad was done poorly…or is rush-hour advertising simply not worth the money?

If $5,000 did work, what went well? Is more money worth investing?

Human beings are susceptible to hoping, wishing, and wondering. It’s why gamblers go for one more roll of the dice. Firm goals and results assessment must be where an investment is either cut off, modified, or allowed to continue.

Let us help you spend right

Proven Media Solutions specializes in helping clients tell their story to target markets. Contact us today to see how you can put your money where your brand is and see better results faster.