Good morning! Well, it’s Monday again. Yuk, right? Oh well, I can think of something that will just perk you right up – reading some great articles for business leaders. Here’s a few now…enjoy!   

• Some strategies for how best to handle stressed customers: bit.ly/2eqJpBY
• Want to leverage quality content marketing for your biz? Begin w/ this great book from our friends Resonance Content Marketing: bit.ly/2e7ihZT
• These productivity tips from these fast growing companies might change how YOU do some things: on.inc.com/2eAhO0i
• Business leaders must be bold and make tough decisions in challenging situations. Here’s how: bit.ly/2dRzvse
• Some top designers weigh in on how to create a top-notch PowerPoint presentation: bit.ly/2ewqKUt
• Should your small business be using Snapchat? Here are some tips that could help: bit.ly/2dAArDQ
• There’s a product positioning sweet spot between mass market and premium. You can find it: bit.ly/2e6rEtZ
• Think about how you structure customer loyalty programs. They CAN backfire. bit.ly/2eu13oD
• Some tough lessons you may not want to hear, but should if you want to be more successful: bit.ly/2efrJun
• Is planning your LUNCH hour the secret to a productive day? on.inc.com/2e3m5fB
• The pros and cons to be aware of if your small business is considering using marketing automation: bit.ly/2eCkBem
• How to tell an interesting and engaging story…concisely: bit.ly/2dvWrzG
• The secrets of some great content marketers: bit.ly/2eatnh7

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Last week, I was thinking quite a bit about the interplay of company brands with a business’s fundamental mission and vision. All too often I feel the order gets reversed and the idea of the brand drives the business; as opposed to the company’s core purpose driving the brand definition.

• Make sure your company’s fundamental mission, vision, and values drive your brand definition; NOT the other way around.
• Remember, your brand’s tagline is NOT your brand definition. It’s just a clever summary to raise positive awareness.
• Your company’s creative brand elements (taglines, logos, etc.) should “speak” directly to customer/market problems.
• Use your deep understanding of customer problems (and YOUR unique solutions) to define your brand around.
• It’s important to define your brand around customer problems/issues and YOUR company’s unique solutions to them.

Also, I wrote my latest blog post about this issue also, Who’s Driving Who?. I’d love to hear your thoughts!