Branding and Corporate Image

Many business owners, especially those just starting, do not have a good understanding of just what a brand is and how to create one in their business. And even if they

The best definition of a brand comes from Wikipedia: “a brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a company, product, or service. A brand serves to create associations and expectations among products made by a producer. A brand often includes an explicit logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, and sound, all of which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality.”

To use a brand effectively, you must create a brand that reflects you and your company in the best possible light. You must also be consistent in its use throughout all forms of your marketing: visual marketing, direct marketing, creating a message, hiring the people to support your brand, and the display and use of your brand. For example, I am careful to brand myself in a very specific way. I recently received a call from a company that wanted to advertise on my website. It was from a reputable company and they wanted to pay well for advertising on my website, but what they wanted to advertise was not consistent with what I do (nor did I want to be associated with this brand). Advertising this brand on my website would not allow me to attract the kinds of people I wanted to meet and do business with. So I turned them down, my decision based on much more than money.

In this section you will hear from people who are experts in the use of creating and utilizing a brand. You will better understand that a brand stands for everything you and your company represents. A brand should be thought out and designed to reflect your business in a way that leaves no confusion. At a very personal level, you are your brand; It is the way you dress, how you act, and how you treat others, just to name a few. Everyone has heard the saying, “people do business with people they know, like, and trust.” Your brand tells your audience what is important to you and why it should be important to them. Your brand should tell your audience why they should “know, like, and trust you.”

Most small business owners pay little attention to their brand. This is a mistake. Your brand does not need to be expensive, but it does need to be well thought out. It needs to reflect your image in the market; how you want others to perceive you and your business. You don’t need to spend millions to create a brand, but you do need to be consistent in the use of your brand so you do not confuse your audience. Like your business, your brand should grow over time.

It is very difficult to change your brand. Even if you are not active in promoting a specific brand, others may have already branded you in their minds. This happens because you have not told them how to think about you and your business. You should make this brand what you want it to be – not what others assume it is. And you should hire others that embody what your brand represents.

As you read this section, take notes on what you are doing right and build on those behaviors in your business. It is always easier to build on what you are doing right than to change what you are not doing. But do also take notes on what you are not doing that you should be doing so you can take corrective actions. Building a business takes time, and so does building a brand. When done right, you can use branding to attract others (customers and employees) who see value in your product and services. In order to do this, your marketing plan should have a section on company branding. After reading this section, update your marketing plan with a section on branding.

This article came from 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales. It is available at www.49marketingsecrets.com