Marketing Essentials Part 2: Branding Your Business

Building a foundation for your marketing starts with branding. Every marketing campaign, every piece of print promotion, every message your business delivers should start with a solid brand.

Branding is the collection of associations that people make when they think of your business. It’s the emotion they feel and the mental image that comes to mind when they hear your company name or think of your products or services. It creates a bond between your business and consumers. It enhances credibility, increases trust and improves reputation.

Branding creates a memory – and when people remember your business, you have a better chance of business success.

Read on for the essential information about branding a small business.

Branding the Mercedes Way

Every business, from small shop to international company, needs branding. The large companies do it very well. Think of Mercedes automobiles: they’re sleek, luxurious, and upper-class vehicles built for the wealthy.

Now think of the mental associations you just made when you thought of Mercedes. You probably imagined a shiny car, beautiful people, an extravagant lifestyle, happiness and confidence. Your mind told you that Mercedes cars are elite and desirable. You’d probably feel pretty good driving one around.

That’s branding. The Mercedes-Benz Company created mental and emotional associations for their cars. Consumers aren’t buying a car. They’re buying a feeling.

You can brand your small business too, just as Mercedes did. Whether you sell office supplies or offer virtual assistance, branding helps fuel your sales by creating important associations.

With the right branding, you’ll have a marketing essential that goes a long way to encourage sales.

Laying the Foundation for Branding

Building a strong brand involves a little bit of thinking about what your business represents and the benefits you offer consumers. You need to determine what feeling you want people to have when they think of your business.

Here are some questions to help you get started:

Know what you stand for. What are your personal values? What are your business values? What’s your business mission?

Define your unique selling proposition. What makes you different from the competition? Where do you stand out? Why should people buy from you?

Describe your ideal client. Whom are you targeting as a consumer? What person would be the perfect customer? Can you describe their personality and lifestyle?

Decide on the emotional connection. What feeling should people have when they think of you? Are you classy or cool? Professional or friendly? Expert or casual?

Figure out the emotional benefits. How will people feel if they buy what you sell? What do they feel after they go home? How will their life change?

Create the experience. What’s it like to buy from you? What do people feel when they work with you? Do they feel special? Reassured? Excited? Confident?

Branding has everything to do with psychology and perception. It creates impact on a mental level, not a physical one. The image rises above the sale and helps consumers recognize you – and want what you have to sell.

How to Use Branding Properly

Branding your business means giving it a look, a feeling and an image that you convey in every aspect and area possible, from your business card to your website, from your storefront sign to the way you answer the telephone.

A few key areas you should use branding as a marketing essential include:

Your visual image: Choose a logo design that creates visual impact and represents your business with the proper colors and image. A picture says a thousand words, after all.

Your message: The tone and style of the content used for print materials and website copywriting should reflect and enhance mental associations and the emotion of your brand.

Your personality: A good brand reflects the personality of your business (and your personality too.) Be consistent with your brand in your communications and dealings with customers.

Choose branding that feels comfortable to make it easy to follow through. Reflect your brand all the time, and help convey your brand’s emotional message.

You’ll feel good about your brand, confident in your dealings, and you’ll drive your image home with consumers.

Next week we’ll continue our Marketing Essentials series with an article about creating the perfect message and using it on all of your materials. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.