You hear a lot about “brand” as a business owner, but what does it mean and why is it so important? It’s a valid question, one that needs to be examined. Your brand is what you promise to your customer whether it’s retail, B2B, informational, or a blog. Brand tells your audience what they can expect from you. Are you reliable? How about innovative? Your brand sets you apart from competitors, and it is who you want your customers to rely on.
There are foundations of your brand and that starts with your logo, website, promotional materials, and packaging. Many people know Facebook through their logo. It’s a simplified logo, but when gazing upon the baby blue “F” you know exactly who they are, what they’re about, and why they’re there. It also implants an image in your head that is everlasting. Once your brand is established, it’s important to integrate it with your business. There are several strategies for integrating your brand into your business:
· Design a great logo – Don’t get friends and family to do this. A professional can conceptualize your logo to your target audience. To go with it, a great tagline can also boost your brand image! A quick sentence can encapsulate everything you want your brand to be about. Once this is established, place it everywhere – your website, promotional materials, blogs, forums – show your audience that your magnificent logo.
· Brand message – What do you want to communicate to the public? Your message should be filtered down to how you answer the phones to how you meet with, and talk to, your clients. It even involves what you should wear to meet a customer, what should be written on your email signature, and what colors you use for letterhead. Set the brand message early on and you will go a long way.
· Put a voice to your company that reflects your brand. Your “voice” sets the tone on your written communication. Do you want to be serious, friendly, semi-formal, fun…the list goes on. Your voice can carry your brand to the next level if you do it right.
· Be consistent with your marketing materials. Remember the Facebook logo? It never (or rarely) changes. It has been the baby blue “F” since inception. The more you integrate your consistent brand into your marketing materials, the more your brand benefits. Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials.
· Simply just do what you do. Deliver on your promises and you’ll see your business go far. When you deliver on your brand, customers write good reviews, refer you to others, and it helps you build a bright future with a good reputation.
Brand integration into your business starts with what you want your brand to be, and what it looks like. Take careful consideration into the one that is going to design your logo, website, promotional materials, and start integrating your brand!