When you think of branding… chances are the first thing that pops into your head is the logo and letterhead design you have for your company. Or the look of your business cards and advertising materials. Maybe the vehicle sign on your truck, the design on your shopping bags. If you’re in retail, you might include the look and “feel” of your place. And certainly this is part of branding… an important part.But one that gets focused on less often is the behind the scenes part. Luckily this was covered very aptly this week in Ed Roach’s Small Business Branding blog where the self described positioning strategist dispensed some really solid advice on branding a business. This blog is
always good for getting a complex concept down to the nugget of what you need to know. The recent discussion of branding is an excellent example, and something every small business person should remember… good times and bad.
First, don’t try and be all things to all people. Be who you are. Define your brand and don’t letprice be the distinguishing point between you and the other guy. Whoever has the most resources (usually big business) will always win out in a price war. Make your product or service worth the difference.
Next, position yourself competitively and get yourself in your prospect’s door. Listen to what the prospect tells you and show how you can meet that need. Once you’ve won the business, do your best work every time and try and build a relationship… service the life out of the client and remember them at special times. Never underestimate the impact of a face-to-face meeting or phone call once in a while.
Last, but certainly not least, keep working to get your name in front of your customers any way you can. Now is the perfect time of year to gift customers (and potential ones) with promotional items that display your business name — a constant, quality reminder of you and what you do. What’s more, now that you’ve seen how these items perform, there really is no reaso not to invest in some quality promotional items for your business.
