Creating A Successful Brand

Creating a clearly defined company or brand image is often overlooked by small business owners, who are consumed by every other detail of running a business. Most everyone understands that effective branding is essential to long-term success. The trouble is, branding is perceived as a mysterious and difficult process...but it doesn't have to be. Let's take a look at how you can create an identifiable brand image:

Be Uniquely Valuable

The first step is to ask a series of basic questions, such as: What do we do that benefits our customers? What's our company's ultimate goal? How is what we offer unique? You see, originality is key to an effective branding strategy. It rests on defining how you can be uniquely valuable to your customers, and then communicating that unique benefit in a way that's easy to remember and clearly understandable. Ultimately, the relationship you build between your brand and your customers will be based on the value your company offers. And the bottom line is that perceived value is what creates loyal customers - those who will choose your product or service over others - even when they're tempted with offers elsewhere.

Stand Out from the Pack

So how can you differentiate from your competition? Finding the answer doesn't have to be complex. Just gather together the marketing materials from your chief competitors, including their ads and brochures. Examine the materials carefully and look for the key selling points and the basic "promises" they make.

Frankly, you're going to see a lot of similar products or services, and it may be difficult to tell one competitor from the other. That's because there's a lot of just plain bad marketing out there. For you to get it right, you'll need to decide what differentiates your company, product or service from this vast sea of competition.

Drive Your Core Message Home

Ideally, your core message may come down to a single idea, which will become the focus of all your external communications. Advertising, public relations, collateral materials and even the message you use when networking should all revolve around this central theme. For some companies, particularly those focused on consumer products, a single slogan may embody the essence of their brand.

Live Up to Your Promise

Branding isn't just something that's achieved when a prospect encounters your marketing. It's about creating and meeting expectations...and its success rests on your customers' total experience with your brand.

It may surprise you to learn that each time a customer visits your website, he or she is undergoing a branding experience. In essence, your site is your brand, and everything they encounter there will either positively or negatively impact your company or brand image.

The Bottom Line

For branding success, first define how your company and its products or services benefit customers in a way that is uniquely valuable. Then move heaven and earth to live up to that promise.

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