Yorkshire – God’s Own County

Mill towns, Ship builders, Building societies and Car manufactures have all benefited from locating their businesses near  similar  activities.  Science and technology parks are the new Glasgow or Coventries and it still makes sense to locate your business where industry talent is being developed.

Coal, Steel and Textiles may be synonymous with traditional Yorkshire businesses but this article highlights some of the many  sweet brands that have been developed in Yorkshire.

Batman or the Caped Crusader was named and created by Bob Kane for DC comics in 1939. Will your business name or nom-de-plume last over 70 years?

Avoid fashions that come and go if you want to establish longevity with your brand.

The Joker
‘Robin, I need to go to the bat-room for a couple of minutes’
‘Holy-loo-ya Batman’

Time to eat - Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Batman

Essentials of Licensing Intellectual Property by Alexander I. Poltorak and Paul J. Lerner “A license is, simply stated, permission to do something the licensor has the right to otherwise prohibit …”

If you need to know how the Internet has impacted modern licensing or wish to read an appendix of sample patent forms, licensing agreements, disclosure statements, and contact information then read one of these texts.

How to License Your Million Dollar Idea: Everything You Need to Know to Turn a Simple Idea into a Million Dollar Payday by Harvey Reese

Young businesses can get increased exposure and brand awareness by entering for industry awards. There is the potential to win not only cash but prizes in kind such as professional advice and contact with other entrepreneurs.
www.maiden-voyage.com a young business aimed at the female traveller has been short listed for the innovation awards at the business travel show.

www. Cybersquatters. any

Domain squatting or cybersquatting are terms used for someone who registers a domain with no intention of using it.
In the USA it is illegal under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, to register, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intending to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else.

This is fertile territory for lawyers in helping you defend your IP in domains. Brands Solicitors have a useful list of steps to protect your domain names including the obvious and potentially valuable idea of registering your domain name as a trademark.

Domains can change hands for significant sums and should be protected. They can be stolen particularly around renewal time so be prepared. A domain can become a brand even if it is not perfect but the website is doing well. A well chosen or appropriate domain has inherent value.

I go on about the value to a business of Intellectual Property Rights but you do need to monitor and enforce these rights. You create or acquire these rights, often at a significant cost, so you do need to protect your finances and sometimes your reputation. If planning to take a commercially pragmatic view on a breach it is best to prepared the ground by taking appropriate advice and assessing your options first.

Jane Lambert, a barrister specialising in intellectual property, technology, media and entertainment and competition law, has written an authoritative yet accessible book. Called ‘Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights: A Concise Guide for Businesses, Innovative and Creative Individuals’ it is available from Amazon and good business libraries. This book may help you get the best value out of your Intellectual Property Rights.

Discount fashion retail brand Koodos grew rapidly after good internet sales last Valentine’s Day. They secured good media coverage in the run up and will doubtless do the same in 2010. It is almost too late for you to emulate this activity for your business as magazines like Women’s Own and Look plan their features well in advance but on that basis so should you.

Your next 18 months PR and advertising strategy should be available, at least in outline, so you are prepared to take advantage of, the next election, World Cup South Africa, Global Warming pronouncements, Christmas or whatever impacts on your brand and business activity. Think now, how you can create an online buzz to further your promotions.

In addition to pre-eemptive marketing you should also have contingency plans or disaster recovery plans in place. What would happen if your IT systems goes down or you suffer a disaster like Buncefield?

Mashable are hosting the ‘Open Web Awards’ for Social Media and you can nominate your brand right now.

Mashable have a host of How-Tos and Resource Guides on the site that take the media out of being Sociable. The lists are easy to see and follow and I am a bit taken with the product even though the brand value hasn’t hit me yet.

In the crowded space of social media this is an attempt at a form of directing directory with oomph so I will be interested to see how they fare.

Where are you now as you read this and will it encourage you to join ‘YASNS’ yet another social networking site. Or You Are Where Now? Asleep!
Micro blogging is big business but it seems to be fickle and fast moving. If your business depends on consumer viral trends you need to keep up and effectively be there.

Wayn could stand for What are you - nuts? or Well ah yes no.
As an aside it looks like the character needs to go to Specsavers.

A new addition to the language, a question for Twitter  or a faddish new product to transfer contact details, emails and pictures? Either way it is worth keeping up with social media driven products as one or two will really fly. I hope you are poken into action.

The folks at Poken say ‘On the Poken site you and your friends can view your contacts alphabetically, or chronologically in your “social timeline.” You can also send messages, group contacts with a label, write notes for yourself about each contact, and so much more.’