I talk to business owners every day about effectively
branding their business identity. Some people do not realize the necessity of
branding their business when they are small, but it makes a big difference when
your target market is trying to identify who you are and what you do.
So, what is branding? Branding is an image/slogan/logo that identifies
what your business does and who it does it for. An effective brand makes your
business instantly recognizable to your target audience. Branding needs to be
consistent. Often small businesses do not realize the strength of instant recognition their business can gain by effectively branding
their business. Additionally, consistency is also very important. You need to have your brand be the same on your business cards,
website, brochures, emails, newsletters, signs, etc. The desired outcome is
that when a potential customer sees your brand, they will recognize it as your business.
Let's look at some examles effective branding. Of course there are the
biggies, Apple’s (Apple© all rights reserved) (www.apple.com) iconic apple with a bite out of it, Nike’s (Nike© all rights reserved) (www.nike.com) famous swoosh &
“Just Do It” or most recently "Find your Greatness"; but local businesses can have strong brands as well. Examples here in Athens,
Ga, are Jittery Joe’s ©(www.jitteryjoes.com) with the flaming cup of coffee, when you see it you know its a business all about coffee; and Your Pie® (www.yourpie.com) with the pizza paddle, “Your Pie®” and the slogan "Express your inner pizza®". When you see
that logo and slogan you know that the business sells personalized pizza.
Wow, you're probably thinking. "Those brands are so great! But how do I come up with a great brand?" I recommend
hiring a good advertising / marketing agency to help you design a brand for your
business. If you need referrals, shoot me an email and I can pass along some resources. And, like the examples above, make sure it is not already in use and be sure to trademark (™), register (®) and/or copywrite (©) your
logo/slogan so someone else will not use it as well.
Happy Branding!
Questions, comments, or concerns? Leave me a note and let’s discuss!
