 and welcome to your brand expert tips. So I've got a little tip that I'm going to share with you based on a question that Mars and I were asked at an event that we spoke at last night. We ran a workshop and the question to me in particularly was what is it that you read? So if I want to know about branding what is it that you read that you can recommend to me that's going to help me. So Joanna as I said last night it's not something that I read about if I'm completely honest. Everything I do is based on my experience and the experience that I've tried and tested and measured marketing activities that we do to help get our clients a response to their branding. So I don't think I've read a book on branding since I was at university if I'm completely honest. So the books that I tend to read are more about how to get better results through social media or communication or customer engagement. So it's from my point of view it's more about the touch point. So how to get your brand consistently touching as a heartbeat as I said last night in front of the clients that you really want to do business with. So there are two books I recommended to you last night and I'm going to put a link to them underneath this video. I just thought that rather than just give Joanna that information that you might want to also know what these books are that I've recommended to Joanna. So the first book I've recommended it before but if you haven't seen this video that I created before the first book is called Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug. So if you are designing a website or you are thinking of redesigning the website that you already have this book will help you to understand the fundamental principles of creating that website from a design point of view not building the website but from a design point of view. So there's so many people that try and cram their websites full of information but you know what when somebody comes to your website they already know what they're looking for. They're searching for a website expert they're searching for a vet they're searching for a drill you know they know exactly what it is that they want usually when they land on your website. So you don't need to populate your website with lots of what I call incontinent copies so we do this we do that we do the other. You really need to be talking to that person as if they're the only person in the world and you've created your product your service your website your marketing materials you know if you're if you're aiming for someone like me then talk to me don't talk to everybody and don't talk about yourself as if you are we this you know that there are loads of us in this company it's ideal if you can talk to me as if you are doing business with me personally. So of course in your About Us page you could have a team section where it talks about the entire team but more than likely that customer is going to be looking for something quite specific and the first thing they want to know is that you are the expert that they can get it from that is going to provide it to them. So Don't Make Me Think is a brilliant book because it really simplifies what you need to have on your website even from the point of view that again we've made recommendations about this before and I very much agree with what he says here in that using social media icons on your website is brilliant because obviously Google is looking and other search engines are looking for your presence on social media because it really does take into consideration your social collateral as well as your website collateral. So you'll probably notice when you if you search for me in Google for example if you type in Sammy Blendell before my website or anything else comes up it will more than likely come up with Facebook linked in Twitter so it will show my YouTube videos for example. So you do need to make sure that you've got that social presence on your website but it doesn't need to be right at the top and in full view of that person because you want to take them on a journey and that journey is one that leads to the relationship starting in the quickest time possible. The last thing you want to do is have them in a buyer's mindset and they've come to you for that specific thing and then they click on your Facebook icon and all of a sudden they're off on a massive trail they start seeing all the status updates on their wall and before you know it they're totally out of thinking about you and they're on another journey so it's ideal if you have your social media icons maybe at the bottom of your page so they're there more than anything for Google to pick up that they are there and that you do have a social presence. Of course if you've got them through a cycle and a journey that you want them on and then you want to mention oh by the way you can keep up to date with us at facebook.com forward slash brand expert tips or go to our YouTube channel called how to build a brand you could tell them these things but it's probably better that you do that in a video because then you've already started to get that relationship and they're starting to think about buying from you really would recommend you try not to take them on a different journey other than the one you want them to take so Steve Krug don't make me think is the name of the book and I'm like I say I'm going to put a link to it underneath this video but you know just make sure that you are using those kind of principles because it does make a hell of a lot of sense so that's a great book. The second book I highly recommend that if you've read it before read it again so you might well have heard of how to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie and you've probably read it a long long time ago it's a very old book 1920s or something I think it came out so you know he's been helping a lot of people over a lot of years to communicate more effectively not just with your customers but with family and other people as well how to get the best out of people now another book has come out using those same principles which is called how to win friends and influence people in the digital age again I have recommended this book before but I think that it's such a great book especially if you are using social media to communicate your message so it really does cover all the principles of how it used to be that you'd go to a networking event or you meet somebody face to face and you'd have a conversation and then you'd take that relationship and continue that relationship outside of that particular meeting well now most people are having conversations online first through whether that's through mobile whether that's through a smart device whether that's through a laptop or a desktop most people are starting to now have conversations online and then they take it offline so it's really key that you understand the new age way of communication and that you're communicating effectively using the principles and the techniques that have been found to work now in this day and age so it's using all of the things that Dale Carnegie came up with in his first book and then it's taking those principles and then emerging this new digital age version of those particular techniques so again from a brand touch point point of view it's taking your communication wrapping it up in a way that's going to really get the most engagement visibility credibility with your audience and then helping you to take your your communication and your relationship to the next level so those two books are absolutely fantastic of course you know branding isn't what you say it is it's what other people say it is so when you've got a brand that is communicating consistently online through social media and it looks the same when you go to the website and then when they meet you in person your business card is the same it's like a uniform isn't it and I've again I've said this before people have been brought up to trust a uniform if you went and if you had a problem or a challenge your phone has been stolen or something and then you run up to a policeman who's half dressed you wouldn't know if you were really talking to the right person would you so that uniform is so vital and it's really really key that your uniform is branded consistently your identity and each touch point you have with your customers is consistent with your verbal communication what they're hearing about you what they're watching how they feel when they listen or read your material so those two books are absolutely brilliant at helping you to do that so they're not necessarily books about branding but they are really you know it doesn't have branding written on the front of the cover but every touch point you have website social media communication verbally non-verbally it's all part of brand extension so I hope that has helped you Joanna to really take your business forward I know that you're a website company provide websites and social media and online presence for businesses so those two books are specifically going to help you even better so if you have any other questions please do get in touch either leave a comment in the box below or email me at advice at howtobildabrand.org and of course you can also now register for the free six step leader program that Miles and I have spent the last six months refining and creating to really help people just like you to start your journey whether that's as a new business who really wants to start getting that communication out there in that heartbeat and that pulse rate going with your clients or an established business who wants to review evaluate and start attracting a new higher level of client this six step leader program will really help you to do that so get yourself along to www.howtobildabrand.org and all you need to do is put your name and email address in the box underneath the video and we will send you your first step to the leader program to get you started so have a brilliant day if you've got sunshine I hope that you go out there and get a little bit of sun on your face because it really does help you with your mood as well and we will be back tomorrow with some more daily brand tips so take care and we'll speak to you tomorrow.