Laura Markz: Mixologist of Biz, Booze and Branding Secrets

When you want to have a branding happy hour, just meet up with Laura Markz, or listen to this interview where she serves up shaken and stirred branding business recipes.  How does one build a successful online business? What are some branding do’s and don'ts? Why do some people waste money and website and visuals? In this exclusive podcast-turned-masterclass, Laura Markz shares what it takes to develop a successful brand online. From building a website to understanding your audience, the branding expert tells it all! In this episode of the Social PR Secrets Podcast, host Lisa Buyer talks with Laura Markz, host of the Biz and Booze video podcast, school of branding and community. A former online strategy executive in the agency world, Laura now runs her own online education and consulting business. She offers online resources, guides, and courses to help entrepreneurs learn the modern-day methods of branding. This next January, she will also launch an online university that will take students through the process of building their own businesses. By signing up for the monthly subscriptions, customers will be able to get Laura as their private consultant and join MyBizU. Branding Barista Laura Markz Four Steps to Branding  In her video and podcast series Biz and Booze, Laura makes business school fun by merging classes with a Friday happy hour. On the show, she helps entrepreneurs and small business owners build their brands. Such advice is the four proactive steps people can take to develop a successful brand. First, look at brands similar to yours. Understand what they do well and not so well, find out what makes you better. Second, she recommends getting inspiration from businesses outside of your industry. She says that once you bring something you admire about another brand to your industry, it will come to life in a completely different way.  Third, make sure you really understand your audience. And last, identify your brand’s characteristics. Think about how you want your audience to perceive you. Write down how you want people to feel when they interact with your brand. Laura has put together a free workbook on how to brand your business, which includes 200 such adjectives. You can find it here. Logos and Other Common Branding Misconceptions To Laura, one of the most common mistakes people make is to spend a lot of money on their website and logos. She says, “I spent $5 on Fiverr for my logo and I'm still using it.” Another service she recommends using is Leadpages