“You may have come to BrandsFormation before, but you haven’t seen it quite like this,” shares Chuck Mefford.
Why should your business know his name? Mefford is a marketing expert, public speaker, and author of the best-selling book, BrandsFormation, which uncovers his time-tested, results-driven branding strategies. We are proud to bring Chuck into our market each year because we know that his branding principles work, as evidenced by the success stories that many of Zimmer clients, including Steve’s Pest Control, have earned. “This seminar will take things to the next level and will really provide valuable lessons on how to speak to consumers’ hearts,” he continues. “If you own the heart, you’ll get in the head, and you’ll change the mind.”
In honor of the new seminar experience, BrandKamp, which builds upon the foundations of the Brandsformation principles, we're sharing a recent interview where we sat down with Chuck and asked him to share some inside scoop on what businesses can expect from attending the seminar.
Zimmer: Why are you so passionate about small businesses seeing success?
Chuck: I'm a big believer in “Small Business America.” 70% of this country's total economic output comes from those businesses. The truth is, everyone started out as a small business: Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines, the list goes on. So, that's what I admire about Missouri is that there are so many entrepreneurs! They get business. But generally, marketing your business doesn’t come with an instruction guide. We didn't exactly grow up to be marketers.
So, hopefully, what I can bring to the table is to say, “Look, if you've got a story to tell and you're good at what you do, but if you feel you're not being appreciated or people don’t know you or understand you, then you need to be at the seminar because I’ll teach you how to be famous.”
What you do with that fame is going to be up to you. I've seen some people flounder and some people get filthy rich. But you will be famous, so you better be ready because business will go where business gets invited— No doubt about that!
Zimmer: What kind of questions do most business owners have for you?
Chuck: Most businesses, whether old or new, generally ask these three questions:
- “What should I be doing now?
- “Where should I be today with all these darn choices out there? How do I get noticed?”
- “Of all the things I can or should be doing, how do I make sure it's working?”
I’m going to answer all of those questions at the seminar. I'm going to tell you where to be. I'll tell you how to do it and how to speak to the heart of your audience.
What is a common issue you see businesses run into when developing their brand?
Chuck: Take a moment to ask yourself, "Are you selling a product or service, or are you selling what it’s allowing you to do?” No one simply buys products and services, they buy what the product or service does. So, businesses that can really learn how to tell a story and build a brand that people can connect with, and that solves their audience’s problems will really start to see positive results. For example, if you are a diamond jeweler, you don’t need to simply talk about the diamond, but rather talk about a look on a woman’s face when she opens the box. That's what you're selling.
Zimmer: Why are you so willing to keep coming back to our Mid-Missouri market?
Chuck: Zimmer Communications understands that advertising is just one of five elements that comprise a successful marketing bridge. So, they help businesses do a checkup on themselves. And I’m just one of those elements coming into the area to help businesses in the Mid-Missouri market do that. They allow me to come and teach businesses how to grow using media and marketing the right way. It's not hard, but you have to have the right system! If you follow the rules and have a system, it's amazing what can happen. And it has been amazing to see the success of businesses in the Mid-Missouri area who have implemented this system.
Zimmer: Why does someone who has never been to a BrandKamp seminar need to attend? And why should those who have been before attend again?
Chuck: Since 2020, we have been able to offer our BrandKamp seminar despite the difficulties that COVID brought us. Whether or not you have or haven't yet attended a Brandsformation or BrandKamp seminar in the past, either way, you will be learning new and valuable information to enhance the Brandsformation experience! When you attend BrandKamp, you’ll hear about the three M's of marketing, the message, the media and the measures. Our seminars just keep growing and getting better, and I'm always updating our content, so this spring you’ll see real proof and examples of success, and how your brand can tell an effective story.
The greats all follow the same formula. And so that's what we teach. And we teach it in a fun and engaging way so that it is easier for those attending to retain the information. It's fun for me to be able to help business owners get this part of their business right, and then show them how to monetize it. That’s why I have written multiple books on this very subject, and do what I do. I love doing this seminar and I'm looking forward to coming back to the mid-Missouri area this April!
