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Small Business Articles from Make-it-Fly®
 Brand
Your Business to Be Heard Above the Crowd!
Part Two of a Two Part
Series
By Victoria Munro
Printable version
Experts tell us that we’re exposed
to more than 5,000 marketing messages every day.
Your clients and prospects are on marketing overload,
and getting your message heard above the crowd can be
a challenge. Branding your company can help you
do just that, and to survive and thrive in today’s
competitive marketplace you need to be heard!
Contrary to what you might
have heard, branding doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Large corporations certainly spend hundreds of thousands
of dollars to brand products. However, solopreneuers
and consultants, willing to invest the time and effort,
can brand their services and products affordably.
Branding Basics: What is Branding
Anyway?
Branding encompasses the entire
“feel” associated with your company.
It’s expressed in your every communication: the
way the phone is answered, the look of your printed
materials and website and how you network in the community.
It’s your company’s reputation within your
particular marketplace. It’s an implied promise
made to your customers that helps build trust, confidence
and loyalty.
For a small business, the
brand is inextricably linked to the owner. It
represents your values, expertise and personality. To
some degree, it will take on your personality.
Branding Benefits
Branding your business:
 |
Enables
you to attract the right clients by reaching them
with a relevant message that speaks directly to
their need |
|
Communicates
a clear and consistent message that builds credibility
and trust |
|
Helps
to develop strong, loyal relationships between you
and your target customers |
|
Gives
a competitive edge that helps customers and prospects
to easily remember your
services and products when they have a need |
When a company’s printed materials, website and
signage send a consistent message with similar text,
graphics and colors, it conveys a solid, professional
image. It provides the level
of comfort a potential client may need to do business
with that company. Check to see if you are communicating
a mixed or confusing message that might undermine your
credibility and professionalism. Perhaps use a focus
group to give you objective feedback.
Seven Steps to Brand Your Business:
| 1. |
You
are the key, so before you begin, it’s
essential to review what
is really important to you and your business.
Understanding your core values personally and as
a business is an essential foundation. |
| 2. |
Identify
your target market. Select a specific market
niche. When you want as many customers as possible,
cutting out the larger market to concentrate on
one small segment can appear to defy logic. However,
the narrower your niche, the more effectively you’ll
be able to communicate your message. |
| 3. |
Learn
everything you can about your clients’ businesses.
Understand the challenges they face, and their greatest
needs and desires that your services or products
meet. |
| 4. |
Know
your market. Know your competitors, their
strengths and weaknesses, what they are known for,
what they claim to do best. Identify your position
– where you fit within that market. |
| 5. |
Pick
your differentiator. Stand for one
thing that sets you apart: that single unique
quality that gives you a competitive advantage
– your unique selling proposition. You probably
do many things well, but you can’t effectively
communicate a laundry list of strengths.
Warning: You
can’t brand “excellent products”
or “good service.” Your customers
automatically expect this. |
| 6. |
With
the above information in mind, write
your Branding Proposition. Keep it simple,
and make sure it’s easy to understand. You
must captivate your audience immediately with a
relevant and compelling message that includes your
logo. In studies, people shown text with graphics
remembered more than when shown text alone. |
| 7. |
Consistently
communicate your message across every medium
you use – print, web and telephone contact.
Ensure that employees, clients and strategic partners
understand and can explain your brand. |
(639 words)
© 2005-2007 Victoria Munro.
Click here
for printable version.
About the Author: Victoria Munro is
co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly®
LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for
small-business owners through creatively designed programs
and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different
businesses. To receive FREE business success articles
with tips to help you with your business, sign up for
their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,”
at: www.Make-it-Fly.com,
and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get
More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics
& Tips.
You’re welcome to “reprint”
this article in your ezine, print publication
or on your website, as long as it remains complete and
unaltered (including the “about the author”
info at the end). Please send a copy of your reprint
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