When you are branding your business, your logo is important, but it is not everything. Pretend your brand is a building, the logo is your foundation but without basic elements like walls, windows, a roof, etc. that foundation won’t look like much. This article will help you figure out the basic elements of your brand.
Building your branding should be one of the first things you do as a new company. To get started, ask yourself these 4 questions...
- What is your company’s mission?
Some would say this is easy, our mission is to be the best “product/service” seller ever. That is a
great mission to have, but how do you achieve that? You start small. Your mission does not have to be a final destination for your business, but one along a path to that destination. When the McDonald brothers opened the first McDonald’s Famous Barbeque in 1940, they idea of being the biggest Fast Food Burger chain in the world was not their company’s mission. In fact it was when they were bought out by franchisee Ray Kroc in 1961 that they started to grow into the powerhouse we know today.
great mission to have, but how do you achieve that? You start small. Your mission does not have to be a final destination for your business, but one along a path to that destination. When the McDonald brothers opened the first McDonald’s Famous Barbeque in 1940, they idea of being the biggest Fast Food Burger chain in the world was not their company’s mission. In fact it was when they were bought out by franchisee Ray Kroc in 1961 that they started to grow into the powerhouse we know today.
- What are the benefits of your products or services to your buyers? Specifically what if any of them set you apart from your competitors. Lets keep with the fast food talk and mention another one, Burger King. McDonald’s was known and Burger King wanted to get some of their business. How did they do it? They changed what they did that set them apart. Using a grill and advertising it “Your Way.” To further set themselves apart, they were the first fast food chain to introduce a veggie burger in the United States
- Who are your primary customers, or who are they going to be?
You will want to know who your Target Market is and gear your branding to keep and build that group. Dunkin Donuts was always know through my childhood as a place to get doughnuts and other similar sugary baked goods. Their target audience are not people looking for lunch or dinner, so when they decided to expand their offerings, they pushed other breakfast options and coffee first and foremost. If you’re Not sure about your Target Market, check out this resource.
- What do your customers think about your business?
And what do you want them to think about it? This one is difficult, for this, the only thing you can do is ask your customers. You see this often, restaurants have comments cards or online surveys to get opinions from their customers. Some even advertise a monthly drawing to try and increase the number of surveys they get.
Once you’ve made concrete decisions about your brand (which you must!), consistency is key.
If your logo appears in the upper left corner of your website, then put it there for your advertising as well. Place it in the upper left corner on your company letterhead and so forth.
And this consistency should extend to other areas of your brand. Take McDonald’s for example. A large number of their products include a “Mc” before the name of the item, McMuffin, McNuggets, McDouble, McCafe...
The way your employees answer the phone is part of your branding as much as anything else is, if you run a pool supply store, let just say Pools R Us, having your employees answer the phone by saying, “It’s a nice day for a swim at Pools R Us, how can I help you?” It may seem simple, but it strengthens your brand.
Everything about your business and how it interacts with the public is your branding. That is why when someone who works for a company says something offensive online it can get them fired, because it damages the company brand.
Good Luck and Good Sales!
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