Loni "Lilly" Ice on Crafting a Unique Identity in Crowded Markets

Director of Sales and Marketing, NoContractVoIP

Could you tell us about your business and its brand identity?

NoContractVoIP is a nationwide American B2B telecommunications company that provides white glove service and top notch responsiveness to clients who need a cutting edge, reliable business phone system.

How has your unique brand identity contributed to the success and recognition of your business in the market?

VoIP companies are a dime a dozen.  However, VoIP companies who focus on their business clients and take care of everything with custom, tested, reliable systems are rare.  That's who we are.

Can you share the journey of how you developed and refined your brand over time?

Most people want to figure out their unique selling proposition.  A USP is all about oneself.  We developed our brand by focusing not on ourselves, but on what our clients really needed.  They're doctors, lawyers, accountants, hair salons, restaurants, insurance agents.  They don't have the time to be telecommunications experts as well, so we stepped into that gap.

Branding in crowded markets can be challenging. What obstacles did you face in establishing a strong brand, and how did you overcome them?

Most people don't know us.  Everybody knows the big names.  However, business owners care about what gets them results, and no Owner/CEO likes spending hours on hold while being cycled through four different departments.  We keep our promise to solve our clients' problems immediately.

How do you ensure that every customer interaction reflects your brand identity, and why is this consistency important?

We never put any automated attendant to answer our phones.  Every call to our office is answered by a trained human being, every time.  Everybody who works for us is rigorously trained in how to answer the phone, how to show empathy to our customers, and how to solve that customer's issues in the most efficient, caring manner possible.

In practical terms, how do you measure the impact and success of your branding efforts?

Every year we ask our current clients to review us, and we also measure how much they refer us.  Our brand loyalty is top notch, now we're working on spreading brand awareness.

Can you share an example of a branding misstep, what you learned from it, and how it influenced your approach going forward?

There was a point we went too salesy in our ads, and we saw our response drop off.  We aren't the local grocery store, and can't use that kind of splashy graphic design.  We learned that we had to catch eyes with elegance and quality, not high contrast colors and starbursts.

What key pieces of advice would you give to new businesses trying to establish a strong brand in a competitive market?

Most people are self centered.  Most people can't afford to be. To create a strong brand, it's important to get out of your own head and deep into your clients' head.