BRANDING - HOW IT CAN
CHANGE YOUR BUSINESS
Branding
- the process by which both a brand and
brand identity are developed.
A brand is defined
as a name, symbol or design, or a combination
of these whose purpose is to identify or signify
the goods and services of a particular seller(s)
which is supposed to differentiate you from
your competitors. Think about McDonalds, Coca
Cola, Microsoft, IBM...
Branding is
all about identity and it works on two levels.
It must be functional and emotional. People
need to recognize and recall your brand.
It has to have personality and presence.
People should know "who you are".
You must apply successful
branding to your business. It can take you
to the next level.
These are the
basic steps to creating a brand.
1. Research
your competition and the market.
2. Strategize. Define
the objectives of your brand and what
it is going to represent. Define your
target market and values associated
to your brand. Define the image you
want to convey with your brand.
3. Create. Choose the
name. Choose something that will tie
you to your market as opposed to solely
on what you personally like.
4. Test your concepts.
5. Be consistent. Once
you have chosen and tested your brand
thoroughly, make sure you keep all your
marketing consistent. |
Your logo is your
identity.
Part of successful
branding is having the right logo to represent
you. When your client sees your logo, they
should immediately know "who you are".
A logo should be simple, easily recognized
and easily remembered. Designing a good
logo is no simple task. It is hard getting
attention from something simple. Think about
the golden arches (McDonalds), NY (New York
Yankees), rounded checkmark (Nike). These
are just some of the most successful uses
of logos to create a brand.
Use your web site
to market yourself.
The web is the easiest,
the simplest and the most direct way to
identify yourself to others. Everybody has
a web site. These days, a business without
a web site are considered less credible.
Think of every big successful company and
they have a web site. Shouldn't you? It's
free marketing. It's cheaper than print
and you can control and change content instantaneously.
It also gives your client anonymity. Sometimes,
a client does not feel comfortable asking
you direct questions but they will visit
your site to see what you have to offer
and for answers to their questions.
Print is not dead.
Remember, you need
to combine traditional marketing with online
marketing to achieve success today. Key
to all marketing is proper branding. Without
good branding, all is wasted
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