ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
What the Heck is Branding and Why Should I Care?
There's been a lot of buzz lately about branding. But what exactly is it, and who needs to do it? Simply put, a brand is what makes your business uniquely YOU! It's the way you present your business and how the world perceives it. And, importantly, it's the way your clients remember you when it comes time to make another purchase. Branding encompasses your key marketing messages and tagline, logo, marketing materials, image, and your clients' complete experience with you from start to finish. Do you think branding is just for those big companies, like FedEx and Coca-Cola? No way! Branding is just as important to small business owner like us. By creating a unique image and message, we tell the world what we're all about. And if potential customers like what they see, they're sure to become money-making clients! Okay, so you have a great logo, and you use it on your brochure and business card. That's a great start to building an image for your company. But, have you taken it any further? Perhaps you have a unique concept that identifies your company, or a specific clientele, or a great customer service policy. However your brand yourself, make sure you're carrying it over to ALL aspects of your business. Consistency in your image and message is so important to portray your company's vision. When potential clients see your brochure or web site, they get an idea of your services, your personality, your commitment to them as customers, and the way you do business. Don't have an identity crisis by mixing messages. Stick to one key concept, and do it well! GETTING STARTED While branding your business may seem overwhelming, it's really quite simple! Ask yourself these questions: 1. "What services or products do I offer?" By answering these questions, you're on your way to determining not only your key marketing message and tagline, but also your choice client and unique position in your industry. CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE BOARD Are all of your connections with your clients consistent? Make a powerful presence in your industry by incorporating your branding into every opportunity for client contact: ? marketing materials (brochures, business cards) Remember, your brand is your promise of the experience that your clients expect and receive from you! I encourage each of you to take some time this month to determine and declare your brand. You'll make it easy for your clients to have a distinct mental image of you. And not only will your clients better understand your offerings, YOU will declare your position to yourself, helping with all future marketing efforts! Copyright 2005 Time to Organize. All rights reserved. Sara Pedersen, author of the FREE e-zine "The Marketing Fairy's Guide to Simple Self Promotion," is a professional organizer and marketing specialist. She helps small business owners make their marketing dreams come true. Sign up today at http://www.time2organize.net to receive your FREE monthly subscription.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Create Your Own Mail Order Products Pick up almost any book or report on Mailorder Selling andinvariably you will find the same advice. When you select amailorder product, select one which: Why You? -- Professional Identity Branding You can have first-rate products and services, but if you can't establish the need, communicate the benefits and differentiate yourself from the competition in ways that make people want to do business with you, you'll forever be selling up hill. Donald Trump On Branding - Brand Identity Guru Love him or hate him, one thing is certain: Donald Trump is a successful guy. We don't have to sum up his accomplishments for you, because his name speaks for itself. Everything he does has his name behind it and, when you hear Trump, you know it's going to be over the top in quality and style. Does Your Message Pass the Test? Develop an effective benefit message and you're well on your way to building your company's entire marketing program. After all, you need focus to create success. Without it you can wind up expending effort without getting the reward (income, that is) you're looking for. Choosing the Right Color Palette Color is a highly personal experience ? everyone has favorite colors, and other colors that they absolutely don't like. So, how do you determine which colors that will work for your business identity, and that will send the right message to? Play it Again Sam The marketing director for one of my longtime clients used to complain "does it have to be purple again?" What she and many others don't realize is that the color you are seeing in your sleep, your prospects might just be beginning to recognize, and if done well, associate with you. Branding Advertising Agency Branding used to be a fancy business word, but it is becoming more and more used in everyday business meetings. Finally! For decades, big corporations have used in-house, very well paid brand managers - someone in charge of managing everything that relates to the brand, including design, package and partnerships. You've heard enthusiastic talks about branding, but you are still not sure if you should get a brand management plan going for your business. Brand Building 101 Building your brand into a brand leader isn't easy. There are 2 areas that can really help you grow your brand, passion and consistency. Passion is incredibly important. You have to understand that even if you are a start up or a one-man operation, or are well on your way, you are still a brand. You have to care passionately about the way your brand is nurtured, developed and presented to your target audience. Everything that leaves your building, every impression that your staff and your company make, is lasting. Take advantage of this opportunity to get your customers and potential customers to remember you in the way that you want them too! What Make Us Unique and Different Starting a business can take a lot of time, money, and energy. And because we don't want to completely re-invent the wheel, we often want to copy (legally) other techniques, strategies or processes used by others. While copying others has many benefits, namely using tried and true methods as well as saving time and money, the true success of your business will come from your own uniqueness. Is It Legal? - Indecent Naming With Tradition When Mitsubishi launched a new car with the name "Pajero" on the Spanish market, it became obvious very soon that the name chosen was not optimal because it immediately was the subject of jokes due to its homophony with a Spanish expression related to masturbation. Trade Journals in Franchising As many people know Industry Trade Journals in America have gone through a tough time in recent years due to slowing of advertising dollars. In franchising there is no difference. They use to give away subscriptions to Successful Franchising on franchise web sites; unfortunately that magazine was unable to weather the storm. They stop publishing in October of 2001. Now we see a re-emergence of Franchise Times, who has hired a new salesman, who is going to all the franchisors and telling them to advertise. Adventures in Advertising and the Affect on the Brand Name Studying various target-marketing techniques and here is a thought. We have been reviewing companies who cross over into many sectors to identify with their potential customers. We have watched as they attempt to understand their customers buying behavior and how they try to create a desire to purchase. Few companies do this very well, few advertising agencies understand the dynamics of multiple markets. I have seen many advertising agencies squander their client's money. In my company, our team has nominated a few companies for their understanding of their customers, we have only considered those companies who cross ethnic barriers, and market to multiple sectors and customers in many industries. My choice was Rolex and Nike. Others members of our team felt comfortable with were GM, Dell, In and Out Hamburgers, Starbucks, E-Trade, MFS, Coca Cola, FEDEX, Washington Mutual, Mastercard, Wal-Mart (new series of ads), GE and Southwest Airlines. Entrepreneur Speaks on Brand Extension in the Franchise Cleaning Business On question I have been asked over and over again from prospective franchisees of our companies has been one in which I am very adamant about it; do we require prior experience? No, like many franchise companies we actually frown upon it and think it is such a detriment that we usually disqualify the franchise candidate if they do have prior experience. And we always ask the prospective franchise buyer what sort of experience they have in our industry. When people find out we specifically do not want to sell franchises to those in our industry we are often ask; "Why Not," as it would appear that a franchisee with prior experience has a leg up on the world and would have a better chance of instant success in our business models. How to Write Classified Ads that Get Results Now. SELLING DIRECTLY FROM A CLASSIFIED AD Branding Services - Brand Identity Guru Branding Services is a tactic that marketing executives and managers should not only understand, but also employ. Branding services helps your company clearly position your company over your competition by branding your product/service in the minds of your target markets. This helps build brand identity, brand image and overall brand equity. Brand Equity Brand equity can be defined in many different ways. I have developed a simple, yet powerful, definition of brand equity. For a brand to be strong it must accomplish two things over time: retain current customers and attract new ones. To the extent a brand does these things well, it grows stronger versus competition, and delivers more profits to its owners. Brand Warfare is More of a War than You Think We will discuss Brand Marketing for a minute. In this discussion we would like to talk about brand line extension and how to do it correctly. First we are not sure if you have been looking in the grocery stores lately, but you might have been noticing some very interesting things amongst America's top selling brands, this has been increasing for about the last 5-years. For instance look at GE Light bulbs sometime. They have not only the original light bulb that GE is known for they now have; Soft Pink, Crystal Clear, Original, Standard, Miser (The energy saving light bulb), and of course Party Light Bulbs in colors of yellow, red, green, blue, and orange. Into The Limelight To stand out in a cluttered world, become a recognized expert Living Your Brand on the Web - Part 2 Now that everyone has conformed to Living Your Brand on the Web, Part 1, it's time to add a couple of tweaks that will further reinforce your brand. Importance of Business Branding Branding is very important to a business, whether it is an online or offline business. Your brand will be the first impression the public has of your business and could very well be the most important one. The goal in business branding is to give consumers a visual image of your company. Business branding is very important to a business because it allows the public to identify your company name on sight.
|
|
|
|
|
