Pro-Speak: Interview With Alizah Epstein

Tell us about yourself 

Hello. I am Alizah Epstein, Chief Creative Officer at the Epstein Creative Group. I started Epstein to help mission-driven organizations clearly communicate their messages, capabilities, and brands across every communication channel. Raised by a strong, single, working mother, I appreciate the challenges that women and children face—and am proud to have created the ECG mission to support organizations that seek to improve their lives.

As a strategic branding and marketing firm, our team includes project managers, print, and graphic designers, web developers, and copywriters who ask the right questions to get to the heart of client goals and challenges. More importantly, we listen to the answers—to make sure we “get it,” “get them” so we can get started on the right foot. Then, we use our resources, tools, and expertise to achieve results, and in many instances, become a virtual extension of our client’s team.

Brand Strategy is a very vast term. How would you explain brand strategy from the marketing point of view?

Brand Strategy is about intentionally creating the perception of your organization. Who you are; what you want to be known for; who needs to know; and why they should care.

Why do Small Businesses need Strong Logos?

First off, it’s important to remember that your logo is not your brand but a representation of it. Your logo should evoke all the feelings, experiences and thoughts, you want your audience to have about your organization. A strong logo is relevant, timeless, reproducible in different sizes and mediums, and represents your brand. Small businesses also usually have limited funds. You don’t want to waste your money doing damage control or redoing your logo over and over again. Get it right the first time. Creating a good logo should be considered part of your startup costs.

What type of videos would a brand need to develop an effective brand strategy?

I believe stories are at the heart of a good brand. Videos that tell a good story—even if it’s short and simple—is a good strategy. Something like the owner telling the story of why they started the company or the impact it has on its audience can really be effective.

Is Emotional Branding (using the emotional connect) a myth or is it a powerful branding strategy?

Emotional Branding is a powerful branding strategy. People relate to people. When you can connect with someone on an emotional level, you not only create a loyal customer/client, you also create an advocate.

Do you think having a ‘Brand-Story video’ works better than a cold ‘About Us’ page for improving company’s conversion rates? Why?

Yes, I think having a ‘Brand-Story video’ works better than a cold ‘About Us’ page for improving company’s conversion rates. First off, people don’t read websites; they skim through them. We are a society of “instant gratification, hashtags, and get to the point”- mentality. A good video is a quick and visual way to get your brand out there.

Any quick takeaway to conclude with?

I think another big point to make is brand consistency. No matter how simple or complicated you make your brand strategy, you must keep it consistent across all channels and mediums.