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Small Business Articles from Make-it-Fly®
 Brand
Your Business to Be Heard Above the Crowd!
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, soloprenuers 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
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