These past couple days here in Chicago the weather has been so off and on. One second it’s a sunny spring day and than out of nowhere it becomes a rainy cloudy mess. Carrying an Umbrella has become a must have! You might be asking what does this have to do with marketing. I’m not being a stereotypical weather complaining Chicagoan in vain. Bare with me folks the aha moment is about to happen!\n\nIt is becoming more and more common that we are seeing clients whose main brand and vision are becoming diluted in a sea of departments, subdivisions and initiatives. Your company’s strategic marketing is that reliable umbrella I just mentioned.\n\nHaving a good strategic marketing plan and brand standards is critical to any organization that has many sub divisions because it helps protect your main identity’s integrity as well as connects the achievements and successes of your subdivisions that fall under the umbrella. Taking these steps is beneficial when marketing to your end consumer. Your target audience can’t grasp who you are if you are sending them a storm of different messages. A good umbrella helps everyone brave the showers and all that is left to do is sit back and wait for the spring flowers (or business opportunities) to blossom.\n