Create Your Brand
To be successful, a business -- or an individual -- needs positive brand recognition. This is especially true in situations in which there may be thousands of similar companies and individuals vying for a customer's attention. Successfully branding a service or product involves creating a positive and relevant image for potential customers.
Create a Positive Image
Establishing a positive image involves forging an emotional association (such as happiness, fun or sincerity) with the product or service you're selling.
There are two basic ways to create these associations. The first is through direct experience -- i.e. ensure that your customers are pleased with your product or service so they will associate a positive image with your business. This is an effective way of attracting repeat customers.
The second approach involves creating indirect associations. Determine what qualities you wish to project -- reliability, speed, simplicity, etc. -- and then craft descriptions and graphics that will project these qualities. If you look at the naming of car models, you can see some good examples of this. A Dakota, for instance, creates an association with wild ruggedness, while a Mustang projects spirit and speed.
If your Web site is one of your primary ways of interacting with clients, the first branding approach is difficult to apply, but the second approach can be easily integrated. However, remember that people will often judge your company based on their experiences with your site so it is important to offer your customers relevant information quickly and easily.
Create a Relevant Message
Make sure your brand reflects the same qualities your product or service delivers. For instance, your product might be named Speedy Copy Service, but if you emphasize quality over speed, your brand is misleading.
Branding can be a challenging but highly rewarding endeavor. Often, it will take many repetitions of a message before a brand becomes recognized. It is therefore very important to put thought into the process before you start selling your image.
[Gary Ryan Blair of Monster Goals is focused on helping people transform their lives and careers to achieve greater levels of clarity, focus, confidence, enjoyment, simplicity and income.]
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