Image Is Everything--For Everyone
Small-business branding expert Maria Ross, founder of Seattle-based branding and marketing consultancy Red Slice and author of Branding Basics for Small Business: How to Create an Irresistible Brand on Any Budget, offers her take on brand strategies for the up-and-coming. --Interview by Jason Daley
Why does a plumber need a brand? Isn't that for companies like Coke?
That actually stems from the misconception about what brand means. It's your impression, your reputation--it's the mindshare you occupy in a customer or client's mind. Do they file you under high-end, expensive luxury brands? Do they file you under cheap and convenient? It doesn't matter what size company you have. Branding is about the impression that will best help you reach your goals and serve your audience.
I just sell stuff. How do I figure out what my brand should be?
Determining your brand is a combination of things. What can you authentically deliver? You can't go out and say you're innovative and high-tech if that's not what you deliver. Who is your target audience? That's one where small businesses fall down. Pinpoint who your audience is and figure out what will appeal to that audience. You also need to look at your competitors and decide where you want to fit. Do you want to zag when they zig? Maybe there's an opportunity to stand out.
How do I communicate brand?
Brand is every single customer touch point you have, from your voicemail message to how you pack a bag if you're a retail shop, to how your store is laid out, the colors that you use, the imagery you project, the quality of your staff and how they treat customers. It's a lot more than just posters and advertising.
That all sounds good in theory. Give us an example.
One of my clients is Alinga Bodywork, a small massage and energy work practice. It was a typical story: She designed a website quickly herself and put up a logo. She wanted to charge a little bit of a premium for her services, but it didn't attract the right people. That template website-in-a-box doesn't communicate that. We worked through what made her unique and what benefits she offers--what she can claim that other people can't. She saw an uptick in her business, and she was able to move into a larger space and grow her practice.
What else can brand do?
I know a soda company that used its brand strategy as a litmus test, and turned Wal-Mart down when they came calling because they thought it would tarnish their brand. They will be partnering with Target, which
is closer to their brand strategy. Questions like who to partner with, where to distribute, who to hire--brand strategy can serve as a guide for all of those decisions.
This article was originally published in the April 2011 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: How to Build a Winning Brand.
Life insurance as low as $14/mo for $250,000 or $21/mo for $500,000 of coverage. Contact MetLife®
Comments:
Lots of good information. Developer a brand is difficult for small businesses that don't have the budget of Starbucks. But you have to look at what is unique about your business and work from there. Contact Aurelian Design for help with a brand identity, logo design, and more.
1. Ensure your product/service is innovative in a way that is relevant (and that people want it). 2. Make sure that your communication (a) gets attention, (b) communicates "what's in it for me" and (c) has a clear call to action. 3. Be consistent in building your core brand messages 4. Start conversations and invest in social media platforms as well as the mainstream media.
I hold my nose, look past the blatant sexism and buy GoDaddy domains. Why? Because they are cheap! In fact the cheapest URLs to buy anywhere. The ads they run just make them disgustingly memorable so you listen to their pitch and run to the site and buy from them. This is not branding it is notoriety.
i am about to start a new business in Nigeria. i am a new entrepreneur, with little or no fund. just finished my IT, training and my certifications. my scope is training and web site designing, i please need a logo from you, please help. just spend a lot in registering a business name. have read your article on how to build a wining brand( creating a logo). please need a logo for a start. thanks for your help.
Apple had the brand. IBM had the brand Tunip had the brand Microsoft had one. Dell came in with the open doors . Come buy the way you want the PC. Who wins. Dell now. Stve Jobs is doing a great work and I pad is thriving. I see no more of Mocrosoft when I compare Apple. To me IBM is a history. That is my opinion. They come and they go. The one that gives the best of the services stays on. and Mikeal Dell is doing just that. Dell Dell Dell I thank you Firozali A.Mulla DBA .
I agree we are paying for the logo Registered Trade Mark etc
Craig Reiss It is all very to say build your brand in the manner Ford did. But then we had no alternative. Now we have abundant choice and the youths are retring at the age of 35 building their own empire. CRM has failed. We have less cash and more exepenses to cough up.. The wars have done little and we are still groping for a hole to escape from all the cap11 etc. Let us be realistic. We have lost the trust we had and love also. Branding by Coke once had failed and Muslims think Coke is from Israil so they prefer Pepsi. KFC has had some mice in the cafe and MacDonalds are trying to push in India. All told we re trying to row up the hill. Let us rest for 5 years and see what we do . I thank you Firozali A.Mulla DBA Africa
Today’s business world is one of the most competitive fields in history. Branding is the most important element for a business in any field from Kleenex tissues to Coca Cola soft drinks. Oftentimes restaurant customers who order a soda will say, “I would like a coke.” Companies can make sufficient profit without branding but their profits will be significantly larger using a brand name or symbol. Branding is the most important investment a company can make in order to reach full its potential. Some business owners might consider a strong brand presence unnecessary but they will soon realize that companies who do invest in their brand are both more profitable and most well-known. The Apple example easily shows how modifying the logo of the company can express a new era for the company. Other well branded companies include Ford, Windows, Speedo, and Coca Cola. I wrote an article that builds upon this article, found here: http://bit.ly/fSHLOW which explains how new business owners may find branding to be especially difficult due to lack of resources and experience. A simple way to begin is to create a logo, a name, or even simple colors which will catch the attention of consumers. Buyers and customers will soon associate this with the product or service. Entrepreneurs must be extremely careful to maintain excellent quality of their products/services, which will allow them to charge owners higher prices. Customers will be loyal because they trust the brand although substitutes and competitors may be less expensive. Remember: branding, branding, branding! Best regards, Gary Whitehill http://www.garywhitehill.com/
Some other things to consider when coming up with a logo for your business. This is part 2 of a branding series I wrote for my blog. Read it here: http://www.melissalittledesign.com/?page_id=8
Simply stated, Brand Identity is the space that you occupy in the minds of your customer or potential customer. A brand is not something that you can invent, it is what you are, your core values, everything you believe, it is managed and passed on to every employee. The Starbuck's brand is an extension of the founder's values and people who share those values make great employees. A brand is the most important asset of any organization as it speaks about where you came from, where you are, where you're heading and what you are. As an example of brand, your personality is your brand, you face is your logo. Michael
I like that you've used Starbucks as your jumping off point - they really are the quintessential company to use for a small start-up turned giant example. Also, their brand image keeps evolving to stay current with their consumers and to drive more consumers into their stores. Thanks for the great post on brand identity!
in branding you must know what your customers want and help them get their the right way. With branding you find what you buyers are interested in and give it to with all you ability. You must know how to get to know you customer, have a nice conversation with them to let them know you are on the same page, The must fell not at home but close enough to come to your special place when they are not home. Branding shows your logo and shows your love for you team. They are called a team because they all work together to become one big family that is willing to work together.
Great article! Branding is not a one time event, it's an ongoing process for any business, big or small! Watch the #1 Branding and Business Performance TV show for small business owners at http://www.leaptv.com @leapzone http://www.leaptv.com