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Most people, when they hear the word branding, think
logos - but in fact, branding is really much more than
that. A brand involves blending the image, purpose,
and focus of your business, with your core marketing
message, and coming up with something which will stick
in the minds of people who encounter it. As a business
or an independent professional, it is who you are and
what you do, packaged neatly, clearly, and memorably.
A logo is only a tangible representation that works to
reinforce a brand.
So - what kind of personality does your business have?
Is it conservative and solid? Outgoing and fun? Or
robust and strong? And, what is your business focused
on doing? Whom do you want to work with? How does your
business differ from the competition? And what makes
it so special, after all? Do not try to name every
special quality or unique selling point - you can
actually build a brand on just one unique quality!
Once you can answer these questions, you can begin to
create your brand. The question is what you want YOUR
brand to leave behind in people's heads.
Practically any business or professional can benefit
from a strong brand. But branding is even more
important for micro businesses and independent
professionals because they face tighter competition. A
well executed brand and identity can help them compete
on a larger playing field, appear more professional,
and stand out from the hordes of competitors.
Once you determine how you want to be remembered, your
image and your message will need to communicate that.
The image can simply be a consistent look used in all
your correspondence, a logo that marks everything that
comes from your business, and the identity you use on
your web site and brochure. The message can be a tag
line, your 30 second "elevator speech," and woven
through the content on your web site.
A logo is only one manifestation of brand identity,
used to create a memorable impression, but it is
useless if you have not clearly defined your audience
and the focus of your business. There are plenty of
clearly branded businesses using only consistent fonts
or colors in their marketing collateral. But whatever
you decide chose one image to stick with through all
your business communication, and make sure that image
is professional. In other words, if you do not have
the resources or finances right now to have a
professional image developed for you, work with less,
rather than using badly formatted clipart or a layout
that makes you look amateurish or cheap. That approach
can only hurt your business and your brand, so find
the level that works for you without a negative
effect.
Once you determine what brand you want to create, and
have developed an identity to accompany it, the work
has just begun. You will need to vigilantly reinforce
your brand every moment you are in business. Your
brand needs to affect everything your business does,
everything you and your employees say, and every bit
of information that comes out of your office.
Letterhead, invoices, proposals… these should all
consistently promote your brand. In your voice mail,
in your email sig, and every time someone says, "What
do you do?" your brand should come out to shine.
Domain names and web site content should, again,
reinforce your brand. Everywhere you use your brand
with consistency, you are communicating with the voice
of your company.
Be aware, though, that this does not happen overnight
- your brand will need to build over time. Develop a
strong brand, and use it consistently, and more and
more often, your brand will pop into people's minds
when they have a need that you can provide.
© 2004 Eileen P. Parzek, SOHO It Goes!
Eileen 'Turtle' Parzek is a veteran marketing designer
and online communications consultant who has been
working from home and virtually since 1995.
Her business, SOHO It Goes! (www.soho-it-goes.com)
specializes in providing technology driven design,
marketing and communication services to small
businesses and organizations.
Date Written: 2004-03-02
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