College Stock: Penny Stock News

As The Dean told the CollegeStock Community in his recent blog post, Brand Names in the Branding Game, branding is exceedingly important because it allows companies to distinguish and set themselves apart from competitors.  The Dean feels that branding is so important that he will devote a series of 6 blogs to branding and building a brand. By educating his students in different areas of the global marketplace, The Dean wants his students to realize OPPORTUNITIES that they, perhaps, would have previously ignored or not looked for. Since advertising and marketing efforts have moved quickly to saturate the Internet, building a BRAND has become essential to survive in today’s tech-heavy world.

Social media and online marketing have become the craze in just a short period of time. Social networking platforms are seeing record registration numbers and included in those figures are hundreds of brand name companies like Target (NYSE: TGT), WalMart (NYSE: WMT), Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and many other huge retailers.  Many of these companies look to building social networks online because they want constant access to their FOLLOWERS! As my students are perceptive enough to realize, advertisements are everywhere and this does not exclude internet search engines and dozens of other resources.

Companies attempt to build strong brands on the internet  because they are concerned with how they are perceived in their overall consumer reputation and presentation. This is a strong reason why branding serves as an identifier; consumers TRUST brands they RECOGNIZE. Obviously this is the goal of companies and organizations trying to distribute mass promotions and advertisements with only a few mouse clicks.

In this continuous branding and advertising process, companies must maintain  their online image and pay millions of dollars every year for the upkeep! Just  as fresh out of college grads need a squeaky clean image in person and on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, companies also need to put themselves out there yet remain professional and appealing. Oftentimes, conflicts may arise while maintaining a professional appearance and still appealing to an increasingly broad range of consumers!

To build and maintain a brand, and to sustain the productivity of any company small or large, trust is also an essential key to success. Trusting relationships may start with a product or service but is certainly enhanced by WORD OF MOUTH. The Dean believes word of mouth advertising is by far the most priceless form of advertising and cannot be bought! To become a trusted brand today, companies must be both seen and heard. Logos, television and radio advertisements have worked for decades but today the internet is replacing conventional advertisements. Now, branding requires a presence-in store and online,; in the headlines and in Google (GOOG) search results.

The internet has given consumers so many places and ways to LOOK for what they WANT. The technology, chats, forums, online polls, page requests and friend invites are there and The Dean knows companies and their brands must be PRESENT to SUCCESSFULLY CONNECT!

Consumers quickly realize which brands are reliable and trusted because they have been THERE for them , or family, friends, acquaintances, etc., in the past. Now more than ever, The Dean thinks the Internet has become the place for companies to be! The more frequently consumers encounter a brand on the internet, the more familiar they become with the brand’s products and services. Trust is built upon with these instances of recognition and consumers are more willing to try out a brand based on them ALWAYS BEING THERE!

In a short period of time, The Dean was able to utilize the internet and social networking phenomenon to increase his brand potential! With his Honors Class following now up to 140 Honors Students, The Dean is clearly becoming a recognized, trusted and reliable brand for stock market education.

Make sure you’ll be there for The Dean’s next BRANDING and be sure to stay tuned for iBranding Series Blogs 2-5 sponsored by iBrands ($IBRC). There are so many market opportunities for a BRAND NAME like iBrands and The Dean is EXCITED to keep these BRANDING LESSONS coming!