|
|
| Small Business Information |
|
|
|
|
Small Business and Branding ? Why and How?
When we speak of branding most of the time people try to relate it to big business house, however, the fact is that every business needs to establish their brand in order to survive the competition. This is nothing new; experts and management gurus had been preaching the same sermon for years now but what they have not told is why you need to brand your small business? How is branding going to help you to establish your business? How can you establish your brand without spending a fortune on it? You might be having a very small business but would you like your client to perceive your business as a small time entrepreneurial effort? Definitely not, and your business cards, letterheads and other marketing collaterals does just that. They create an impression to your clients that you are an established business house of considerable strength and not just a mom-n-pop shop. While you have read till this much, you might have started to plan to get a few home printed business cards or visit the website where you saw the preformatted business cards being sold for peanuts. Beware! The quality of your business card is an indication of the status of your business and your clients are intelligent enough to understand the difference between a standard designed perforated business card and a professionally designed business card printed on good quality card stock. Most of us, including you, would prefer to consider the stability of a company before making a purchase decision. Once you have established your brand with a professionally designed logo, business card and other marketing efforts it becomes much easier for you to build your credibility among the customers. Getting a professionally designed custom logo is one of the very important elements of branding a business. A logo is not just a symbol or a piece of graphics; it is actually your corporate identity. A properly designed logo can leave long lasting impression on your clients and will never let your business slip out of their minds. It also makes your business easily recognizable. Just think, wherever you see the Golden M of McDonald's do you really need to think twice, what company is that referring to? A good logo should ideally exude the nature and attitude of the business. Once you have got a logo for yourself it becomes easier for you to establish your brand. You can use that logo in your business cards, letterheads and other accessories. Don't you think it is going to make a difference if the pack that you use to deliver your products to your customer has the logo of your company on it? And if you are using a reusable pack, your customer might just use the same pack to pass on some other goods to one of his friends- what happens then? Yes! Your logo gets noticed by one other person, you add one more name to the list of your potential customers. You are on your way to establish your own brand. Similarly with business cards, as they get passed on from one person to the other, more and more people knows about your business and the potential customer base increases. Having a business card or professionally designed logo also shows your commitment towards your business. A short, easy to remember punch line is another useful tool for branding. Getting a tag line printed on your business cards or your business stationery makes it easier for people to understand the nature of your business. Ideally, your tag line should not only say about what you do but also speak about your USP. Having said all that, the ultimate question that most of the small business people would have is, how much does it cost to get all these things done? I'd say, "not much". Money is always a problem for most of the small businesses (that's why they are small, otherwise most of us would like to open a Microsoft and be as rich as Bill Gates) but if you know where to look for, you really don't need to spend a fortune to get a professionally designed logo or a business card. There are loads of websites that offer them really cheap and some even allow you to decide the price that you want to pay. (Check out this twin sites, http://www.mycorporatelogo.com and http://www.mycorporateidentity.com ). So, if you think you are tired of being a "small business" and its time to grow up, take the first step; establish your brand! Ray Smith is a marketing expert with years of experience in different industries and specialized knowledge on branding and internet marketing.
http://www.mycorporatelogo.com
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
SBAs 8(a) Program Can Help Some Companies Compete Q: A friend told me that as a woman of Native American descent I might be eligible for a special SBA program that will help me start a small business. He said I could compete for government contracts through this program. Can you tell me what SBA program he's referring to? -- Clara P. How to Effectively Design Your Business Image In many industries, image is one of the last things business owner looks at. If business is not booming, they assume there is something wrong with the sales method, as opposed to the image. "If we just sent out a few thousand more fliers" they say, "we will get some more clients". When in reality, they should be looking at how the message they're sending to their target market is perceived in the first place. Here are a few pointers to look at: Site Selection - Slice of Life, A Car Wash and Detail Center DownTown There is a continual trend we are seeing which I can remember participating in over a decade ago, when cities were trying to figure out how to increase sales tax revenues when the large box stores outside of town came into nearby or surrounding areas. For instance a big and easy example would be Wal-Mart. Sam was smart and built his stores just outside of town near towns, which drew from neighboring towns of 5,000 or more from three to five directions. If you look at an over lay of Wal-Mart stores to an atlas of that state you will see the rural America can get anything they need at the best price without driving all that far. Outsourcing and Virtual Assistants: Small Business Saviors Work smarter, not harder How to Create an Employee Manual Large corporations use employee manuals to both educate employees about policies and protect themselves legally. Whether or not you need an employee manual is your decision, though it can be a great tool for keeping your policies consistent. Three Big Barriers To Small Business Marketing Success When you feel like you're always busy working on your business, but not getting where you want to go, it can be frustrating trying to figure out how to get your marketing on track. It can easily become a "not seeing the forest for the trees" feeling. De-Ionization Decisions in Mobile Car Washing Many mobile car wash operators would like to add de-ionized water to their cleaning process. However before you do this you need to understand the reality of the return on investment. You must also realize how the de-ionization process works. Firing Underperforming Employees in Your Small Business Here are a few tips on how to hand out pink slips when it comes time to terminate an employee. Creative Marketing Tips: Simple Things You Can Use In Your Business To Attract More Clients The single most important activity you can do in your small business is create a unique marketing strategy and plan. When was the last time you saw a company marketing themselves in an outrageous way? In this day and age it looks like everyone has read the same book on marketing ? and sorry to say ? that book doesn't work! Top Ten Resolves for Building Your Business in 2005 1. Resolve to build a consistent network system. How To Start a Small Business Not sure how to start a small business? This guide will offer you some useful tips on the basic requirements of starting a small business. Australian Workplace Agreements - How They Work For You The employer / employee relations environment has been constantly evolving during the last 25 years. In Australia, as in many western nations, the balance between employers and employees has shifted back and forwards usually in response to supply and demand. The More you GIVE the More you GET Why give freebies? Private Franchising is not Real a Real Franchise One major issue not being addressed right now in the regulatory definitions which guide consumers and lawyers in business opportunities and franchising is the new term being used; Private Franchising. The Federal Trade Commission decided it would revise its definitions of such opportunities in 1995, but failed to address this issue. The use of the term; Private Franchising has grown over the years. What Help is there for Veterans Starting a Business? Some of the very qualities that attract people to the military life are what make them good candidates for an internet based home business. What are these qualities? A sense of adventure, an attraction to signs of leadership and the ability to discern what constitutes a good leader, courage and idealism and an understanding of the joy of testing one's own limits. Are You a Small Business Casualty? When a person knows and knows not that he knows. Teach him. Self-Employment: Managing Your Money: Tips for Living with a Fluctuating Cash Flow (Part One) The way you manage your money is one of the first things you'll change when you move from employment to self-employment. The Number of Pages in the UFOC in Franchising is Still Growing Today Today required franchise disclosure documents are over 200 pages generally. How many pages do you think the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular; UFOCs were 35 years ago for these ten-foot tall pillars of the franchising community like Kroc, Monhan and Rosenberg founded their companies? They were of course the founders of McDonalds, Domino's Pizza and Duncan Donuts. How to let go of your EGO When does your ego get in the way? What Is YOUR Value Proposition? Every company has a value proposition. That is a statement of their perceived value to their clients. Often a company will have one perception at the executive level, another at the sales level, and even a third one at the client level.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |