Great Branding Requires A Story With Heart

The world is now literally at our fingertips. For most businesses, the birth of the Internet meant hyper growth and global expansion weren’t just possibilities, they became overnight reality. But for those of us that live outside major metropolises, those of us that enjoy community connection and pride ourselves in buying local, those of us that would rather seek out family-owned dives over a shopping mall, the possibilities offered by the Internet can often feel closer to 2000 than 2020.

Oddly Natural — Digital, Branding and PR strives to make sure our friends and neighbors have the same opportunities to grow their businesses and futures as everyone else. We have access to anyone, anywhere, at any time. In 2016, lack of knowledge should never be the determining factor in success or failure. While we believe technology is an answer, it’s not necessarily the answer. After all, community connection, buying local, and family-owned still got us here.

The first step is knowing who you are. Answer the simple questions that make up your brand story– What do you do? How do you do it? Why do you do it? How do you want your customers to feel? What do you want the world to look like? How is your company contributing to that vision? Then, take that information and put it on the Internet. Knowing and understanding the different options that we now have available to us is crucial. Because if we have anything in our world today, it’s options. Identify the most efficient avenues for your company’s exposure and growth.

One of the great things technology has added to business is the ability to harness big data. This allows us to understand where current and potential customers are, how they spend their time, and what is important to them. The recipe is still the same: have a good idea, turn that idea into a profitable business, then get your business in front of as many people as possible. The ingredients are just a little different now. We work with all industries and clients to help them understand where to invest resources and energy to see the greatest results in today’s digital world.

Today, it is not enough to just place an ad and be seen. The average American is exposed to over 5,000 advertising messages per day. Tshirts, billboards, magazines, park benches, bumper stickers, pens, hats… and that’s before the average eleven hours a day we spend in front of a screen. If the message doesn’t resonate with customers, they don’t look at it.

The world of advertising and marketing has changed. For the first time, Millennials now have the largest buying power in the economy, and understanding what they want is a must for every business hoping to stay in business. Research shows, Millennials seek out and prioritize the where, how and why before they spend their money.

Your company can have a great television ad, I’ll pay attention to it and then I’ll Google you. After that, I’ll make an average of 3–5 clicks before I have a new favorite brand, or give up on you. Because I’m a Millennial, and we’ve never known anything but options and access to information. Instant gratification is still a major consumer driver, but it looks different to Millennials who have graduated college in a job market marred by a great recession and seen greed suffocate success.

At Oddly Natural we know the best advertising message for any business is this simple– tell our clients’ story in engaging, unique, creative ways that are Oddly Natural to them and their company. We know businesses don’t have to spend to try to go find new customers. Instead, the Internet brings new customers to them. When you’re simply telling your story, there’s no expensive research to be done. You are who you are. Your story is your story. Get on the Internet and place your story directly in front of the largest (and still growing) economic group. Give your customers access to you and your story 24 hours a day.

While we know we can help businesses grow, save money, increase advertising ROI and connect to the fastest growing demographic in the world…. There Is More To Our Story.

Oddly Natural believes in the economic idea of a double bottom line. Simply put, our goal is to make money than give a portion of that money back to our community. Founded by two people that grew up and love a great town in West Texas called Abilene, the goal has always been to help grow our city. We hope to continue to make Abilene a place that people want to move to and make their home. At Oddly Natural, we pledge to do good. We pledge to do something. We pledge to use our skills, passions, and monetary resources to reinvest in our city. We hope to inspire others in Abilene and beyond to reinvest in their communities and do good. As we grow, others grow.

God bless the 325,

Alex and Grant.