Branding Strategies with Jenn Stark*

Website designer Liz Bemis and I have worked with authors in all genres and at all levels to create a cohesively branded approach to launching a promotional campaign—whether online, in person, or both. We have developed a workshop on this topic, and to launch the new year right, I thought I’d share a brief overview of how you can help ensure your next promotional campaign launches you successfully.

Dec. 1 is a red-letter day for many authors, as it officially marks the end of NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month that brings together more than 165,000 writers from across the globe in a community-supported effort to complete a 50,0000 word novel from scratch in a month’s time. As of yesterday evening at 6 p.m. Pacific, the NaNoWriMo site had recorded over 32,000 winners and nearly 2.8 billion words written.

But are you (and your Brand) ready for the next step?

Facebook. Lady Gaga. Apple. Tiger Woods... Google. Jennifer Lopez. Toyota. Gap.

In the past twelve months we’ve witnessed extraordinary changes in just about every industry. Well-known celebrities rose to and fell from grace, beloved icons dramatically shifted the public’s perception of them, and companies transformed themselves in front of our eyes—positively or negatively. Some Brands have worked to reinvent themselves—spending millions in the process—and some Brands have been the benefactor of powerfully good press that helped launch them into the public consciousness. Other Brands have had to endure horrific press, atone for poor choices, and must now perform consistently at world-class levels to re-earn the public’s admiration. How has your Brand performed?