Marketing: Branding

When people think of your business, you want them to associate it with excellence and superiority. In order to do this, you must project a clear image about your business, and make good first impressions. Whether online or in a store, it's important that everything is neatly organized and well-designed, so that prospects get a good first impression. Remember, first impressions stick with the prospect, well after they leave your business.

How do you advertise? Is your advertising restricted to the Internet, through banner ads and text links? Or maybe you use small magazine ads or you've tried advertising in the newspaper. Wherever you advertise, you must be clear and concise with your ads, as well as consistent with the design. If the ads are sloppy or sound unfriendly, the first negative aspect is that people won't buy from you, and second they will have a disapproving connotation about your business, and that's the last thing you want. Make a list of all the impression points (the different ways people hear about you) that you have, and make sure they project the image that you want. Don't advertise strictly to try to sell products, also advertise to promote your business as a helpful and professional establishment that can help consumers with their specific needs.

Another reason it's important to be consistent is because you want to establish a brand. Your brand is the set of characteristics that people associate with your business. To establish a brand, you have to be consistent with all of your communications, and to do this, you must make image guidelines. Image guidelines are instructions that say how your communications should be written and designed, and designate what colors and fonts are to be used. When you use the same style in all your communications, whether to employees or prospects, people start to associate you with that style, and that helps people remember you.

Everybody knows about tag lines, also called slogans, and your business needs one too. Most businesses make them when just starting up, but some don't even put a thought to it. Having a tag line is important to help with branding, and it is a decision that should have a lot of thought put into it. Remember, your tag line will be right under your business name, and people will associate it with you, so you don't want something stupid or corny. Another reason to put a lot of thought into it is because once you pick it, you have to stick with it. Of course, you could scrap it and replace it, but if you've had the tag line for a long time, then it would take away from the consistency of your business and damage your brand.

Along with a tag line, a catchy and colorful logo should go along with it. A logo combined with a tag line can make a powerful impression, and capture people's attention and affection right away. Invest in a professional logo design, because a cheap looking logo makes your business look unprofessional. Make sure your logo follows your image guidelines as well, to further add to the power of your brand.