You can think of your brand as a business version of someone’s reputation or “good name.” It is a nutshell version of how people think of the business, how much they trust the company and the values that it stands. Here are a few core concepts for building your brand
Be Different
The famous designer and businesswoman Coco Chanel said, “In order to be irreplaceable, you must vary.” So, ask yourself, “What do we do differently from our competitors? Why is us stick out from the crowd?” Then ensure you communicate this to customers yet others. This is an essential part of your brand.
Build Great Relationships
A customer is someone familiar with getting the quality of service you deliver. Good branding is not a facade. It really is a summation of who you are. It is shorthand for all that the business enterprise does. Focus on building great relationships to your customer base and they’ll build your reputation for you. It doesn’t matter what industry your startup falls under-building relationships with fellow specialists and customers alike can do wonders for your brand perception. If you’re starting out in the catering industry, for instance, get a custom made apron displaying your logo to carefully turn your customer interactions into branding opportunities. Relationships and brand establishment go hand-in-hand, so be on the lookout for opportunities to both build bridges and promote your business.
Select a Good Name
Many small businesses think a good name is descriptive. This isn’t necessarily true. Instead, good names are typically pithy, easy to remember and easy to spell. Many industry giants are remembered by a single word, even if that is not really their full name, like Aflac. Aflac is really an acronym for “American Family Life Assurance Company.” It is type of like whenever we call a guy “Bill” rather than “William”. They wished to rebrand themselves without going right through the hassle of legally changing their name, so they went with the acronym. This helped them achieve high name recognition and be an industry giant.
Consistency Counts
You cannot be everything to all or any people. To be able to have a brand name, you need a reputation or image. You cannot achieve this if you put on a fresh face for different media or in different settings. Think about your brand as the face of the company. You need to paint the same portrait again and again in order to develop that image in the mind’s eye of the public. So, whether your message has been delivered via billboard, letterhead or tweet, make sure it gives people a constant impression.
Have a Stand
Be ethical, keep the promises and have a stand. What exactly are the values your enterprise espouses? Make a short list of core values, then stick to them in both word and deed. Remember: Your brand is not just a superficial impression. It really is a graphic that captures something real about the company. It really is a symbolic representation of a great many things, all rolled up neatly into a tiny package that individuals can certainly wrap their minds around.
In short, first know who you are. Your brand is merely the business’s public image or good name. If you really know what you are trying to accomplish and what value the business brings to the table, branding is merely trying to effectively communicate those core values, both in the facts of how you work and via promotional initiatives.
