For those of you who have been following BrandingWire, you know that a group of us decided to conduct an “experiment” of sorts – tackling branding challenges as a group, one per month, pooling our expertise and perspectives. We’ve tackled coffee, a town in Colorado, car sales, and other themes, and its been an enjoyable ride.
But now it’s time to try to expand and morph the BrandingWire model a bit – to include YOU. Instead of a group of 10-12 of us tacking a single challenge once a month, now we’d like to open BW up and invite the entire community to contribute. Here’s how…
- Do you have a branding/marketing challenge that you’d like to borrow some expertise on? Great – submit the need in a brief [e-mail to: stevew(at)stickyfigure.com], describing the background, the current state, and the goal (here is a simple version of a backgrounder; here is a very thorough version). We’ll post appropriate challenges on the site. Any or all of the BrandingWire posse – and, in fact, any marketing blogger – will be welcome to post in the Comments with suggestions and ideas.
- Do you like wrapping your brain around real-life branding challenges? Great – then be a contributor, pitching in your expertise as new needs are posted.
What we have found here at BrandingWire is that we groove on REAL problems – we like to be presented with a variety of gnarly issues, and now we want to give the entire community of marketing bloggers an opportunity to “show their stuff” by generating creative ideas and asking relevant questions – maybe even having lively discussions and disagreements in the process!
Ready? Here we go – join the shift at BrandingWire, by submitting challenges you (and companies you know) have, and sharing your ideas.
[...] Check out the evolution of the BrandingWire project… [...]
BrandingWire Gets an Overhaul
Many of you know that I have been part of an ongoing team of bloggers who writes monthly for BrandingWire. Below is the list of posts I have contributed to this effort to date:
Growing the Business: Coffee House Blues about branding a small coffee …
Martin from TheBrandingBlog and I just had a delightful conversation about a company name and tagline ideas for my startup. I will provide bookkeeping services to online retailers (aka. e-tailers or ecommerce store owners).
I want to have my ideas evaluated by the specialists at BrandingWire. Martin has already started me in the right direction.
Shall I upload a naming brief? Is there a particular format for a naming brief you would like me to use?
Thank you,
Nathon
I have spoken with Martin Jelsema of TheBrandingBlog, and he has encouraged me to submit my idea as a challenge for BrandingWire.
Please consider me for a public BrandingWire challenge.
I’m looking for a business name, tagline, and logo.
Here is my “backgrounder”, or naming brief:
DESCRIPTION
I will offer bookkeeping services to online retailers.
UNIQUENESS
My niche is online retailers.
I offer relief for the e-tailer by removing the burden of financial anxiety.
I can increase cash flow to the e-tailer by managing their money.
TARGET MARKET
Online retailers/ e-tailers/ ecommerce store owners
Sole proprieters
Running their own independent sites – not on eBay, Amazon, or Squidoo for example
Both startups and established businesses
MARKET SEGMENTS
Startup e-tailers
Established e-tailers
Sole proprieters
“S” Corporations
LLCs
MAJOR GOAL
Fifteen clients at $30 per hour averaging 8 hours per month per client, equals $3,600 gross earnings. First, this will allow me to work from home. Second, this will allow for a 30 hour work week, which will leave me the time I need to get my own online retail store up and running.
BRAND OWNER
I am married for 8 years, no children, and ambitiously desire to leave my current job as a computer drafter at an engineering firm to run my own online retail store. In order to start my store off on the right foot and guarantee (as best one can) success, I am detouring into bookkeeping for other online retailers. My plan is to learn the business from them, inside and out, by managing their finances. Over the next two weeks (June 28-July 9, 2008) I will be taking a crash course in bookkeeping for small businesses. By August 1st I plan to have three clients, and add one new client per week until I have 15 total clients. So, by Thanksgiving week I will have 15 clients and will be able to leave my job in time for Christmas.
CONSIDERED BUSINESS NAMES
Ebundance
Abundance Bookkeeping
Flowbundance
Probundance
Accounts Doable
Special Ledger
Accounting Assets
Essets
CONSIDERED TAGLINES
*note: online retailer, e-tailer, and ecommerce store owner may be interchanged
Accounting for the online retailer
Carrying the online retailer’s accounting burden
Relief from accounting
Relief for the online retailer
Relax, I’m your CFO.
Relax, I’m your bookkeeper
Profit and growth specialist for online retailers
I wear the accounting hat.
Relax. I know what to do.
You make the money. I’ll track it.
I’ll do the “gross” work. (Accounts Doable)
Doing the “gross” work for the online retailer (Accounts Doable)
Making a statement for online retailers
Knowing what to do for the online retailer (Accounts Doable)
Ecommerce profit through bookkeeping
Profit through bookkeeping for online retailers
Anxiety management for online retailers
Helping online retailers plan and manage cash flow (Martin’s idea)
Helping online retailers manage their cash flow so they can survive the first five years (Martin’s idea)
You have more than you know
LOGO IDEAS
Pinecone (you have more than you know)
Iceberg, showing above and below waterline (you have more than you know)
Bean or Jelly Bean (I’m a “bean counter”)
Hat (as in, I wear the accounting hat)
Coin (not really a coin, but a reference to a coin shape)
Pill (like a two color capsule, for getting rid of anxiety)
COLOR IDEAS
Deloitte blue
Green to match that blue
Thank you!
Nathon