What is Branding?

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.” With that in mind, branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem. A strong brand is an important piece in your marketing communication.

Why Do I Need to Develop a Brand?

Developing a strong brand for your company is what makes your clients go to you, come back to you and stay with you when things are uncertain. It’s more than just designing a logo with colors that attract, or creating stationery that stands out. These things will get you noticed, but will your clients keep their attention towards you when all the smoke clears? Or will they be attracted to the next company with the latest bells and whistles?

Observation: An Apple a day. One of the best examples of branding is Apple. When you think of Apple what do you think about? Certainly not their logo. It is what Apple represents, the emotions they convey, the coolness of their innovations that truly makes Apple stand out as an iconic brand. Their brand is orchestrated wth a clear vision and a flawless plan of execution. From the ads, to the products to the packaging to the corporate culture Apple creates an emotional bond and loyalty that truly stands out.

Where do I start?

When starting a company, one of the first things people see in a business card, letterhead, website or anything identifying your business, is the logo. According to Wiktionary.com, a logo is “a symbol or emblem that acts as a trademark or a means of identification of an institution or other entity.” It’s important that the logo represents your business accurately but simply. Look at other successful logos from your competitors to get ideas. Make a list of what you want yours to look like in comparison. Designing a logo and setting up your stationery are just the first steps in successfully developing a brand.

How can I further develop my brand?

You have your logo, your stationery looks beautiful, and you and your staff are ready to work. Now you have to get the word out there about your new business. Marketing is the next step for your start-up. Depending on the type of work you offer, there are several different ways to market your business, many of which are covered in this section and in the next, Getting the Word Out. They include a developing a company website, press kit, promotions, trade shows, direct mail, ads (online and off).

Now that people know who you are and what you’re about, what will make them choose you? A way to develop a good brand for your start-up is by building on the relationship you have with your clients. Many small business are good at pursuing a relationship with customers, but aren’t as good at nurturing it. Nurturing a relationship allows you to reinforce your brand and increase brand loyalty. This also helps you weather the storms of increasing competition; your competitor may drop its price, but your customers will remain loyal to you. Small businesses also have an advantage over large competitors because they’re more flexible and personalized to the individual customer.

Objectives of a good brand:

• Delivers the message clearly
• Confirms your credibility
• Connects your target prospects emotionally
• Motivates the buyer
• Concretes User Loyalty

Observation: OK so you do not have the budget of an Apple, Coca Cola, or a Target to build a brand. Nonsense. What is your businesses value proposition? What do people know about you. Are you reliable, smart, hard working, honest, innovative? Everything that you do should reflect those attributes. I once went to a Chiropractor that answered her phone in an unusual way. Instead of saying “can I help you”, she instructed all who answered to say “I can help you.” The brand she was obviously conveying was all about service and solutions. She also gave a mean adjustment.

What is Brand Positioning?

Brand positioning is the way a market views a specific company in their minds. They create an image or identity for its product, brand, or organization in their minds. It’s what people think about when a specific company comes to mind. It’s the way they relate it to its competitors. How high or low they rate it. Whether or not it would be their first or second choice. Comparing everything from quality to pricing. It’s a perception that is difficult to control, but can be positively influence through strategic actions.

• Re-positioning means changing the identity of a company, relative to the identity of their competitors, in the minds of the target audience.
• De-positioning involves trying to change the identity of competing companies, in relation to the identity of your company, in the minds of the target audience.

For the most part, the company positioning process involves defining the market in which the brand will compete as well as collecting information from customers about their perceptions of the company.

Some popular personality attributes of a company that can help develop brand positioning are:

• Professionalism
• Responsive
• Reliable
• Customer focused
• Service oriented

Read More about Establishing a Brand

Developing a Logo>

Designing Stationery>

Developing a Website>

Developing Business Collateral>

Promotional Items>