“So what we found out about the Flying Dutchman, for example, they’ve been in business for forty years and they simply didn’t know how to grow. But one thing I’d found out when I went to the original Flying Dutchman store is that people like to gather there, but they didn’t have anywhere inside the store to gather and sit down. Everyone sat down on the sidewalk and hung out outside. So that’s what gave us the idea, why don’t we have it we could build the community inside and everyone did feel like family, and it was a place that everyone could actually say hi to one another, right? So, it was taking what was existing but magnifying it as an actual location for people to gather. – Howard Lim

This episode is the second half of my conversation with innovator, author, and award-winning brand architect Howard Lim as we discuss the challenges of audio-based SEO, how insurance companies have paved the way for audio branding, and figuring out your brand’s favorite music.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available and what the newest audio chats will be about. If you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help – and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts.

(0:00:00) - Exploring Audio Branding and SEO Trends

The second half of our conversation starts with a closer look at Howard’s book Authentic Branding and how web design has evolved since the days of Adobe Flash. “It made a big difference as far as the overall experience,” he says about those early, more audio-focused sites. “Now websites, they’re so flat as far as introducing it to your senses, because now you’re just using your visual sense.” We talk about the ongoing challenge of tying SEO and audio together, and we discuss Howard’s approach to helping companies find the right sound for their brand. “One of the questions I ask,” he explains, “when I’m in a strategy session is what if the brand listened to music? What music would listen to and why?”

(0:09:55) - The Power of Sound in Branding

Howard tells us more about his work with such companies as WSS and Flying Dutchman and shares some of the success stories in building their brands. “It expanded them,” he recalls his work with Flying Dutchman. “I think it was three years to five franchises, where [before] they couldn’t grow for forty years. So it was really capturing a brand essence.” He shares his approach to building a sense of place as well as product when it comes to branding, and how sound helps shape our environment. “When they turn on that background music,” he says, “it just shifts the energy, it shifts the environment that you feel like you’re experiencing [into] something that has a lot more richness to it.”

(0:20:17) - Creating Stronger Brands with Sound

Our discussion comes to a close as we talk about how listeners can get in touch with Howard, and an online brand assessment that he’s offering, included in the links below. He also tells us more about what first inspired him to write about branding. “The reason why I was writing a book,” he explains, “is because nobody wanted to explain how to create a brand. They would write about it, but they wouldn’t give you examples of how to create a brand. And so that’s when I said, oh my goodness, this is a perfect opportunity for any size company to learn what it really takes to build a brand.”

Episode Summary

• Sound’s role in branding, from early Flash designs to contemporary web strategies.
• How the right sonic brand can help foster communities as well as build customer loyalty.
• Howard’s guide to building an effective brand and how to get in touch with him.

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