Listen more and Talk Less. You want to listen more and talk less. You want to know what it is that your customers or clients need. Are you providing that? And if not, you must figure out a way that you can. Because people don’t just buy things just for the sake of buying them, although, sadly, some people do. But the main reason people buy things is because there’s a need. So can you fill that need? Can you fill that void. Listen to what they say, what they need and what they want. This is where my next point comes in below. Digital Marketing allows you to search the “search phrases” people are looking for.

Aspart of our series about how to create a trusted, believable, and beloved brand, I had the pleasure to interview Patricia Baronowski-Schneider.

Patricia Baronowski-Schneider is CEO of Pristine Advisers. She is an Investor Relations/Public Relations/ Media Relations and Marketing Expert. Her motto is “Driving Brand Awareness Through Integrated Marketing”. She is a 2x Bestselling Author with 30+ years’ experience working with all types of niches around the world.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Ironically, I always say “I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up” ha-ha. I never set out to be an IR/PR or Marketing Executive. It was basically a job I had right out of high school. What I liked about it was that, unlike a receptionist for example, it wasn’t the same boring work day in and day out. The team of IR/PR Professionals that I worked for were constantly running around with projects. It seemed that we never knew what was in store for the day until they opened up their emails in the morning. I basically enjoyed the rush of constantly being busy, constantly having to find solutions and being creative for clients. I then worked my way up the corporate ladder. Being on the agency side has allowed me to work with clients in just about every niche out there and across the globe. I love the creativity part of the work, plus the constant evolution of the industry keeps me on my toes. Always having to find new and better ways marketing clients across multiple platforms and gadgets makes it fun.

Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Well, back in those day, this was long before the technology we have today. We didn’t have PowerPoint or Digital presentations. We had to literally print out a presentation on paper — run it to a presentation shop who would then make these 5 foot by 6-foot printouts for us to then put into a desktop flip chart where we would have to read and present off of that. So I am sure you can imagine how big of a deal it would be to have a typo on one of these pages.

Lesson learned was obvious. Check, double check and triple check your work BEFORE ever moving forward.

As time progressed, things were evolving and getting better and someone else made a rather funny mistake. Well, it wasn’t really funny but I guess it depends how you look at it. We had a client back then that had our Company marketing them to the state of Washington. That should have been simple enough, however, my co-worker who was not geographically savvy, actually was marketing them to Washington, DC which is 2692.4 miles away. We realized that when he was trying to arrange one-on-one meetings with potential customers when they were asking him at that point why he would be asking them when they were so far away.

Lesson learned — again, double and triple check your work and when you aren’t 100% sure of something — ASK. It’s always a good idea to ask someone else for their feedback from time to time. That could have alleviated that whole problem much earlier on. Another lesson learned — be involved. Don’t just pass on work to someone else and be done with it. His supervisor should have been on top of that, checking his work along the way. At the end of the day his superior was just as fault as he was.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

One of the main things that makes us stand out is that we are a one-stop-shop for clients. Most firms are either an Investor Relations firm, a Public Relations Firm, a Media Relations Firm or a Marketing Firm. I’ve yet to see any firm that does all that we do. How this actually came about was that back in the day I worked for an agency that did all of these services. When they closed their doors I was forced to seek employment. In my interviewing at other agencies I found that the majority of IR firms did strictly annual meetings or annual reports, or things of that nature. They did not do everything else that I did. Then I tried interviewing at Public Relations Firms and yet the majority of them focused solely on advertising. I thought that was bizarre because I did so much more.

After continuously interviewing, I realized that I had something unique and valuable. Rather than Businesses having to hire an IR firm, a PR firm, a Marketing firm, etc. they could hire me to service all of their needs — all under one roof.

Now, that’s not to say that everyone does that, and that is ok. I work alongside many internal or external IR/PR/Marketing teams. I explain all that I can bring to the table — and leave it to the client(s) to tell me what it is that they need from me. I don’t step on anyone’s toes. It is often good to see/hear what others in the same industry and/or Company think and how they see things. We often brainstorm together to come up with the best ideas to help put them up front and center. Ans if we see things differently — then it’s good to understand why. As I always say — the best thing you can do is listen more and talk less — it helps you understand how others see things. It’s never about “me” it’s about the client or company I am working for.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes, I think it does go hand in hand where IR, PR, and marketing all play a role because you have your current investors, and then you have your potential investors. Your current investors want to know everything that’s going on within the company on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis because they have their money at stake. With potential investors, it’s a matter of introducing who you are and really setting the stage of why you’re an important company or an important person and why they should consider investing in you. So it definitely does come into play, and then media relations ties it all together, where you have your story and you want to try to get media exposure almost in a form of advertising, again, to pose you as an expert in that specific niche, that specific type of company. And marketing as a whole is just getting the story out there repeatedly, continuously, and in front of the audience of investors and your potential targets.

I am working for a Company now and they initially said that they only wanted to do a quarterly piece on their work and share any news and updates the company is doing. This Company needs to be in front of not only current investors but future/potential investors as well. This is where the IR role plays a key focus on the PR/Marketing side.

Shareholders need to be told what is going on with the Company and anything “additional” you can share brings them even closer to you. Every listed company or company with shareholders — they have to legally (according to the SEC) provide quarterly and annual reports and such. But those that keep investors informed continuously and communicate with their shareholders — that brings value and trust and that goes a long way.

Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?

Well, let’s use Kellogg’s Cereal as an example. Kellogg’s is the brand and all of the variety of cereals are their products. Everything is built upon trust and brand recognition. If you come out with a new cereal and you don’t have brand recognition (let’s just say you are an entrepreneur who just made up a recipe for a cereal) that is ok, but your marketing efforts will be bigger and harder than if you currently had a brand with recognition. That being said, you need to work on your brand marketing alongside your product marketing.

Kellogg’s is a company, but they obviously have various brands of cereal. Think of Kellogg’s as the parent and its products, the children. My mom always told me you’re defined by the company you keep.

Think of Celebrity parents. If everybody is looking at a celebrity parent, they obviously are going to start checking to see how your kids are raised. And if your kids are troublesome, that reflects on you as being a bad parent. So think of your product and your brand in the same manner. Your brand is the head of the products. So overall, you want to have a good sense of who you are, what you do, and how you have your investors or your customers best interests at heart. And then each specific brand can be tailored to that.

So think of, for example, Disney. Ever wonder how they stay on top of the line year after year after year? Because they’re constantly evolving and they’re constantly setting the stage for whatever the customers might want. So something new comes out. Say there’s a new Harry Potter movie. Okay, well, now we have a new Harry Potter ride. Or there’s a new cartoon out for the kids. Okay, we have a new ride for that. You can tell that the parent, the brand, is always looking at what’s in the best interest of its potential customers, clients, etc., and that each ride is meant specifically towards that desired customer. In essence, they are paying attention and showing how they are thinking of their customers/investors before themselves (or at least that is the appearance, and how it should look).

So you have your product and you have your brand. Your brand has to stand out, and your product reflects your brand and the brand reflects the products.

Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?

If I buy something on Amazon, the first thing I want do is check the reviews. It could be something I’ve never bought before. If it has bad reviews, I’m not touching it because to me, the average buyer, it is basically saying that the owner of all of these items is not good. The same would be the case with the brand. So if your brand has a bad reputation or isn’t really known, I don’t know how much weight I’m going to put into the products or the services from that brand. You really want to highlight that you are a reputable brand. And then any product that you have, I’ll now take notice of because you have a recognizable brand and sometimes a brand goes a long way.

Think of going to a dollar store and for example, a women buying makeup at the dollar store versus purchasing from Revlon. I wouldn’t expect the dollar store makeup to be as good as Revlon. Why? Because the dollar store is associated with “cheap” and Revlon is associated with “good and valuable”. You see how them having invested in building a brand recognized name comes into play? That really goes a long way.

The same goes with buying a shirt or buying pants or buying clothes or buying a car. Let’s just think of cars. You have a brand-new car that comes out. If it’s not a reputable brand, then customers are going to wait. They want to see. It has to build momentum. No one wants to be the first person to buy something from somebody they’ve never heard of. They want to wait and see and see if it has any value. Is it reputable? And a brand name takes time to build. If you have a good marketing team, that can actually help expedite that process.

So you want to really build a brand because again, people want to buy from someone that they know , someone that’s proven themselves. And again, if you prove yourself but no one knows about it because there is no marketing, well, that is like “If a tree falls in the forest with no ears to hear does it make a sound?” Well, how will anyone know ? That’s where the marketing comes in with building a brand. Marketing can go a long way.

Let’s, say, for example, if you’re a company listed on the Stock Exchange and history shows that you can be really valuable, your stock price can go really high. But, let’s say with a recession, the markets are tanking and everything’s gone down and everybody wants to panic and sell their stock. You can go out there and say, “No, no, we’re a great company” with marketing but that’s where Investor Relations can come hand in hand with the marketing — helping to tell the story in a way that would catch the attention of investors. That’s where you come in and say, you know what? Think about it this way. What a great buying opportunity this is now. Buy low, sell high. You don’t sell low and buy high. You buy low, sell high. So this is an awesome marketing opportunity.

It’s definitely worth putting in the money, because the ROI on it can go a really long way

Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.

1. Being Honest. I worked with a few financial companies at one time and they were heavily invested in the financial markets when they were tanking. I had advised both of these Companies to communicate to their investors and let them know that you are on top of this situation and doing what is necessary to ensure that the shareholders money was not lost. One Company listened to me and the other chose not to, despite my numerous suggestions. What happened? The one who chose to listen to me gained the respect of his shareholders and the stock price reflected that. The one who chose to not listen to my suggestions and said nothing lost the respect of their shareholders and the Company eventually closed. Life happens, things do not always go as we planned, but communicating everything and being honest goes a long way. It’s ok to say, “We realize the financial industry is not working the way we had hoped. We have now reshuffled our attention to ABC instead now, and it has been performing extremely well. Always know that we respect our shareholders and continuously have your best interests at heart and will continue to do all that we can to bring you the best value for your investment.” Think of yourself, as an investor, receiving those kind words as opposed to not hearing anything at all and seeing your investment swindling away. What would you do?
2. Really know and understand who your ideal customer or client is. It’s nice to think the world is your customer — but being focused and narrowing down who your ideal customer or client is can better help you to tailor your message. I worked for a fast food healthy eatery in Manhattan several years back. In Manhattan there are 2–4 eateries per block so finding food is never an issue. That being said, why should someone choose them? I had to narrow down the ideal customer. They were a healthy fast food eatery. So McDonald’s customers might not be the best target market. However, gyms and healthy lifestyle customers obviously would be. Also, celebrities like to stay fit and healthy and there were a few recording studios in the area. I tailored the focus to these specific customers and the result? Dozens of celebrity photos of them eating the food, local gym members signing on for daily deliveries as well as local yoga, dance, etc. locations signing on. This food eatery because a franchise across the USA.
3. Listen more and Talk Less. You want to listen more and talk less. You want to know what it is that your customers or clients need. Are you providing that? And if not, you must figure out a way that you can. Because people don’t just buy things just for the sake of buying them, although, sadly, some people do. But the main reason people buy things is because there’s a need. So can you fill that need? Can you fill that void. Listen to what they say, what they need and what they want. This is where my next point comes in below. Digital Marketing allows you to search the “search phrases” people are looking for. So for example, maybe you are Elmer’s Glue for example. Do you know all of the reasons people might use your glue? You can search for everything people search for in terms of glue and then you can market to those categories as well. Digital Marketing can show you where people are finding you, and you can even sponsor or advertise on these portals. Once you know what people want, making it happen will be so much easier.
4. Conduct Market Research or Case Studies on your product/brand to ensure you are meeting the needs and expectations of your customers. As I mentioned in #3, knowing what people want will help you reach the top in your marketing efforts. So many times what businesses believe their customers want or need or believe are completely opposite. I had one client who was a doctor. He believed that his practice obtained clients because of his specialty. While that may have been true, he was unaware of what his current and potential customers really wanted. In sending out anonymous research questions, he was able to see, learn and know what else he could be doing to reach more patients. The result was him gaining clients from not only his area, but from a variety of states who knew what he did and how he offered more procedures under one roof than any other doctor. It was a win-win to know what was needed and wanted and not what he believed it was.
5. Be personable. Too often the top players of a Company are out of reach and the customers or investors or audience only see and hear from the customer care center or assistants. That is all fine for most occasions but people want to see who is in charge and that he understands me. That’s why attending local events and shaking hands with people can go a long way. How many times do we see singers at concerts inviting someone up to the stage to interact? Or on television shows, they invite someone from the audience up on stage. I knew of someone entrepreneurs that were making and selling produce out of their garage. They had great products, but only neighbors knew about it. I invited them to sponsor local sporting events, interact with local restaurants and eateries to enable them to hand out flyers, and even meet up with the Mayor of their town to get his support. That in turn helped them to be known in their town and the result was they had various supermarkets who wanted their products, restaurants started using their products, they started becoming a household name in their town and eventually they had investors to take them to the next level.

In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?

I would again have to use Disney as an example. They are continuously evolving and proving how they are on top of the trends, how they have their customers best interest at heart and how they want Disney to be “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Every time there’s a new ride, a new store, a new anything, they’re constantly out there changing and evolving and coming up with new rides or coming up with new things, because that’s what keeps them going. If they just did one thing, set it and forget it, that’s not really helping because the world is changing. The world evolves. New things happen every single day. And you want to be riding that wave.

They’re constantly getting feedback from people. And in the world of digital media, digital marketing, people posting their pictures in Disney and tagging Disney in the photo, etc. I am sure that they’re getting discounted tickets or they’re getting freebies and such. It is a way of keeping them involved and going back.

In various case studies or market studies/research, they find out what it is people want, what it is that keeps them there. And they have their staff and people that are involved that see what works, what doesn’t work, what rides people favor the most, etc. The constant marketing and commercials and just seeing everybody happy to be at The Happiest Place on Earth, their whole tagline.

And they’re honest, their helpful and the biggest part of marketing, they listen. They are also helpful. For example, in their one blog they point out 9 BIG Problems You’ll Face in Disney World (and How to Solve Them), which includes things as needing cell phone battery, not getting a fast pass, not getting the dinner reservation that you wanted, etc.” so they see/know what people are enduring and offer ways to help. It’s a win-win. People feel understood and listened to.

In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?

It is actually different. There is a little bit of an overlap between them but both branding and advertising are two different actions with different goals. Building a brand campaign is focusing on shaping and creating your identity whereas the advertising’s goal is to promote this brand so that customers notice you. Most start-up companies will most likely need both.

Brand building includes making people aware of who you are, your logo, your mission, etc. Let’s take Coca-Cola for example. About 7.1 billion people would recognize the Coca-Cola logo if you showed it to them. That is 94% of the population of the Earth, which is amazing considering that only half of the earth recognizes the cross as a symbol of Christianity. There are mainly three types of brand awareness, which include brand recall, brand recognition and brand dominance.

Brand awareness is the foundation that all of your marketing efforts have to rely on, from social media to SEO. It’s what helps you make people aware of your brand and what you have to offer, so you can gain their trust and influence their decision-making process, in order to get more sales, faster. Brand awareness builds brand equity.

Advertising can enhance brand awareness, while branding drives the style and direction of advertising campaigns.

Various kinds of tests are used to measure the effectiveness of advertising. These are: attention, exposure; comprehension, attitude, and behavior or action.

Marketing effectiveness is measured by the short-term and long-term revenue generated by a campaign and by how well the company’s costs of customer acquisition are lowered during that campaign. A good customer data platform can contribute to your marketing effectiveness.

What role does social media play in your branding efforts?

Social media plays an important role in how consumers research, discover, and share information about products and brands. Sixty percent of consumers researching products through various online sources learned about a specific retailer or brand through social networking sites. Active social media users are more likely to read product reviews online, and 3 out of 5 create their own reviews of products and services.

Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities and in 2021, 82 percent of the population in the United States had a social networking profile, representing a two percent increase from the 80 percent usage reach in the previous year.

Many active social networkers (53%) follow brands. These brands are actively recruiting their followers and fans to spread word-of-mouth recommendations about their services and products, and those consumers who write product reviews online, many say that they share their experiences to “give recognition for a job well done” by the company. Social media users also like collaborating with their favorite brands, saying they want to give product improvement recommendations, and another 64 percent who want to customize their products. It is an ideal method of having their voices heard.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would have to say that the one thing I wish people would do more of is a simple one — be nice and help others. The world is full of so many people with the mentality of “every man for himself” and judging a book by its cover, neither of which I support. I used to volunteer in local hospitals and visit many elderly patients. It always brought me so much joy to share stories and see the smiles that my visit brought to each patient. I also love how people take one look at me and feel that they have me all figured out. I recently published a book called, “Life’s Obstacles Can Be Your Biggest Motivators” where I talk about the many struggles and obstacles and turmoil in my life. Because I am always smiling and appear happy, people assume my life has been one way when it definitely has not. People should never judge a book by its cover.

People can take one day a week — helping someone — it goes such a long way.

There are many benefits to helping others.

It feels good. There’s evidence that suggests that when you help others, it can promote changes in the brain linked with happiness. It creates a sense of belonging. Helping others helps us make new friends and connect with our community. Face-to-face activities such as volunteering can also help reduce loneliness and isolation. We never know what someone else is going through and how important your presence can be to them. It gives you a sense of purpose. Studies have shown that volunteering enhances a person’s sense of identity and purpose. This is because helping others makes us feel rewarded, empowered and fulfilled. Giving also helps to keep things in perspective. Helping others, especially those who are less fortunate than ourselves, can help to put things into perspective and make us feel more positive about your own circumstances. Most importantly, it’s contagious. Studies have found that people are more likely to perform feats of being generous after seeing others do the same. This can cause a ripple effect throughout the community, inspiring dozens of individuals to make a difference. Also, helping others can help you live longer. Being a regular volunteer can improve your ability to manage stress and ward off disease as well as increasing your sense of life satisfaction. This might be because volunteering alleviates loneliness and enhances our social lives.

It will also give you a sense of renewal. Helping others teach us to help ourselves. If you’ve been through a tough experience or just not feeling great in spirit, it is a great way get back to feeling like yourself. It can also boost your self-esteem. Volunteers have been found to have overall wellbeing and higher self-esteem. The benefits of volunteering also rely on consistency. So, the more regularly you volunteer, the more confidence you’ll gain. You will also create stronger friendships. When you help others, you give off positive vibes, which can rub off on people and improve your friendships. Being a presence for good in a friend’s life can help build a lasting bond. You’ll also become a glass half-full type person. Having a positive impact on someone else can help you change your own outlook and attitude. Experts have said that performing acts of kindness will boost your mood and ultimately make you more positive and optimistic. It’s a win-win.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I would have to say Give out what you most want to come back. I believe in life, we get out of it what you put into it. Sort of like the law of attraction in a way. If you surround yourself with negativity and turmoil, you seem to get that in return. But surround yourself with positive and kindness and you will get that in return. These are lessons that I learned later in life, but have proven to me how life is what we make it. One can wake up on a rainy day and complain how the day is ruined. But looking at the positives — the rainbow after the storm, the singing birds, the smell of rain in the air, the flowers that bloom because of it, etc. I always wake up and tell myself 5 things that I am grateful for. Being positive.

We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

I would love to have dinner with Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. His contribution to the computing revolution, defining the advancement of this era, is beyond amazing. His unrelenting pursuit of excellence in creating products that are both highly functional and beautifully designed would make him a fascinating lunch or breakfast partner. I feel that I could learn so much from him. And also Oprah Winfrey. Much of Oprah’s success can be attributed to the fact that she took risks and was willing to venture into new territory. Winfrey is also a committed philanthropist, providing significant assistance to schools (Morehouse College, Tennessee State University, Chicago Academy of Arts) as well as to the Chicago Public Schools. She also funds battered women’s shelters and campaigns to catch child abusers. As a former victim of abuse, I commend her efforts and think so highly of her. She is also someone else that I am confident that I could learn so much from.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Website: http://www.pristineadvisers.com/ and https://pbaronowski.com

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/user/PristineAdvisers/videos

Vimeo — https://vimeo.com/search?q=PRISTINE%20ADVISERS

LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/1674911/admin/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciabaronowski/

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/PristineAdvisers?sk=wal

Twitter — https://twitter.com/pristineadvise1

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/pristine_advisers/

Blogs — https://medium.com/@patriciabaronowski

Calendar: https://calendly.com/pbaronowski/30min

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

And thank you for having me. I love sharing my story and expertise with others. If I can ever be of assistance to anyone, I am just a phone call or email away.