Branding is about getting your customers to see your company as an important key provider in addressing their needs and gives you a real competitive advantage. Once you have done thorough market research and checked out the competition, it is time to start developing your brand identity. Your brand is the name, design, or distinctive symbol you create for your product or service that makes you unique in the marketplace. It will convey your reputation, quality, uniqueness, and credibility so it is important that it be built carefully. Building a trusted brand requires knowing your target audience and building a strong relationship with them which will lead to brand loyalty. Yes, it takes time to communicate the character of your business, but it is time and money well spent because a positive brand usually means repeat business for your company.
Effective marketing cannot happen without a strong brand. Why do you need a brand? Erin Ferree, a marketing design strategist and owner of Elf Designs, says, “Forty percent of people better remember what they see than what they hear or read. So having graphics associated with your business will make you more memorable in the mind of a potential client.” A well-designed logo and effective brand gives you a major edge in competitive marketplace.
When it comes to developing your brand identity, there are two schools of thought. You can hire a firm to help you name and brand yourself, or you can pull together your kitchen cabinet of advisors and close friends willing to work for food and have a good old brainstorming session.
The benefits of utilizing a branding strategy are real and can help you do several things:
- Look more established. It is very hard to fake it until you make it with an unpolished corporate image. Avoid clip art or homemade business cards.
- Attract clients. Not using a professional logo on your marketing materials can keep you from getting a meeting with a perspective client. Corporations, in particular, are filled with gatekeepers whose job it is to screen small businesses. No one will risk their reputation on a small business that is not presented well.
- Convey trustworthiness. A colorful, distinctive logo, professional collateral materials and up to date website shows that you are a serious about your business and committed to your clients.
- Explain an unusual line of business. In a highly technical or off-beat industry, a professional logo can clarify visually exactly what you do.
- Explain your company name. If your company name contains a fictitious word, jargon or an acronym, the logo can help explain its meaning. With compelling graphics, potential clients are more likely to remember you.
There are a few things you need to consider in creating your brand:
Your brand is a symbol of your promise to the customer. If you go to McDonald’s, there is a certain level of service, food quality and environment that is expected. When you see the golden arches, it symbolizes your expectations.
Get professional help with your logo. Hire a professional graphic designer to develop your logo. Do not, use clip art, free art on the web or (my personal favorite) stylized FONTS as your logo. This is not only unprofessional, but it immediately screams newbie small business owner.
Protect your brand/logo with a trademark. You’ll be putting your brand or logo on everything from your advertising to stationary. If your company is successful, competitors are not shy about stealing your business by duplicating your look. Trademarking your brand gives you protection and legal recourse.
Remember, that your brand is the starting point for how people perceive you. Be memorable and above all else, invest in a real logo.
For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.
Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. 
As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her one of the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)
Thank you for this info.I never really looked at Branding as such an important factor in customer perception.
Great stuff Melinda! We always tell our clients that the ultimate goal of a branding campaign is to have your prospective customers think of you first and feel best about you when the need for your product or services arises. So, the big differentiator between different business categories is the product purchase cycle. Branding is easier if you sell something that must be purchased each day, like food. It’s more difficult if your service or product is only purchased yearly or even once in a lifetime (insurance, cars, houses, engagement rings).
A good exercise in branding is to produce web content on a regular basis and try to get your prospective customers to engage with it.
Podcasting, if done right, can be easier to produce than written blog posts, yet can be repurposed into articles, videos, training and books. It can also let the business owner shine as an expert while letting potential customers feel like they know you.
Good post. Very important for companies, regardless of their size, to brand themselves effectively. It’s vital to avoid being generic; a brand is supposed to be a representation of the company’s identity. If you can’t come up with a strong brand then people aren’t going to trust your company to have a strong identity.
Wonderful post. A proper image goes a long way where prospect clients are vetting a small business. Your point are right on.
Branding is huge–especially for small business owners. It represents what you’re going to be known for now and in the future. Every blog post, status update, and word on your website should reinforce your brand.
Although it’s tempting to cut corners and pull something together on your own, finding someone who can help you establish your brand identity early in the process can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
You mention some very relevant things here. One thing which is important that I didn’t see mentioned in your article is – you can only control how people see your brand to a certain extent. Branding is much more than just a logo or your website – your brand is the image that your stakeholders have of your business, which is co-created through interactions and relationships. Understanding that your brand is not just a logo, but rather an experience is the first step to successful branding.
It is important to bring trademark counsel in at the conception stage, not just at the launch stage. Your brand must also start out as not infringing someone else’s pre-existing brand, whether or not that brand has been registered as a trademark on the state or federal level. It is miserable to spend the time, money and effort on a new brand, only to receive a cease-and-desist letter from someone with pre-existing rights, and have to start over.
Thanks for that excellent post! It’s all about communicating who you are as a business and sticking in peoples’ minds – about being memorable. If “perception is reality” then the image you present is key.
Great Suggestions!
My biggest element I noticed in your post is how you end it. I’m learning as you do, you end the post with a lead in on who you are and your experiences. The fact is that it helps further position you as an authority.
Again, wish you the best fully aware that the best us yet to come.
Be Blessed
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Excellent post! I totally agree that an ‘Effective marketing cannot happen without a strong brand” is so important. Making a lasting impression and setting yourself apart from others is key.
Informative article for the new business owner. Branding has truly helped my small business standout among the ‘big dogs’. Thanks for including the info on trademarking.