Question: My partner thinks we can stand out with a great product and exceptional service, and that we are too small to create a so-called "brand." I say it takes more to set our business apart and that we should spend some money on developing a brand. What's your view?
Answer: Branding - a hot business buzzword in the ?90s - has come front and center again. Small businesses are rediscovering that branding is a surefire way to make or break a product or service, and the company that produces it. Every business can benefit from branding, right down to the independent contractor working alone.
It's becoming increasingly vital to keep up. Buyers - either business or consumer- have shorter and shorter attention spans. The average "shelf life" of new products and services these days is somewhere between that of milk and yogurt. As entrepreneurs, we have to constantly recharge existing brands and devise new ones.
Branding and marketing go together. Says Laura Ries, president of the Atlanta-based marketing firm Ries & Ries, "If you can build a powerful brand you will have a powerful marketing program. If you can't, then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales promotions and PR in the world won't help you succeed."
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Effective branding combines Web and off-line elements. It is much more than a customer's reaction to your name or logo. It's the customer's total experience with you, your product or service.
Think what you sell can't be branded? Think again. Almost anything can be branded, including you, personally.
The Web is the only interactive mass medium, so take advantage of it. Use interactive features whenever possible. The future belongs to the up-and-coming businesses that do the best job of building their brands on the Internet.
The best brands tend to tap emotions and appeal to a person's natural need for involvement.
Avoid hackneyed techniques more suited to brand busting. One candidate: e-newsletters that are badly done or overdone.
Be original in identifying your brand identity - the thing that sets you apart. Hint: Not quality or service. Everybody does that!
Be consistent with your brand's look, feel and message whenever and wherever they appear.
Avoid trying to be overly "cool" or in-the-moment. Too hard to sustain. The brand must be relevant, but long term.
Strive for simplicity. Too much information confuses your brand message.
Base your brand on your customers' needs. Don't know them? Ask your customers.
Here are some standout resources that can get you going or put you ahead in the branding game.
For our money, Martin Lindstrom is one of the savviest branding experts anywhere, in both the on- and off-line worlds. He's written several popular branding books including Clicks, Bricks & Brands, BRANDchild and BRANDsense (March 2004). Lindstrom advises big companies on branding, but the best thing for small business owners is the long list of branding reports and articles available free on his Web site. His insights and musings on hundreds of branding-related topics make fascinating reading. A free newsletter on branding, called BrandStorm, is published whenever he has something of interest to share. Sign up at the Web site. Click "Writing" at www.MartinLindstrom.com. You can also read monthly articles on branding by Lindstrom at ClickZ.com (search "branding").
The Brand Called You by Peter Montoya (Personal Branding Press, 2003) offers some great ideas and advice on how entrepreneurs can promote themselves, personally, as a brand. In particular, we like the strategies business owners can use to position themselves as the best choice for someone seeking a particular product or service. The book sells for $17.47 at Amazon.com.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by market guru Al Ries and daughter Laura (Harper Business, 2002) is a smart and accessible branding Bible that's just come out in paperback and includes 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding as well. Sells for $13.27 at Amazon.com.
Other helpful branding sites to consider include GetProfitable.com and RobFrankel.com.
Rebranding can be critical to capturing new markets and buffing up your image.
When you redesign your brand, your company takes on a new identity in the marketplace. Companies typically rebrand when they want to reach new markets, update their image, market a new product or service line, or after merging with another organization. A brand redesigning effort can be as simple as a retailer giving his display windows a trendier look, or as complex as a newly-acquired manufacturing company overhauling ...
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