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Business Branding

Written by: Joanna Stewart

Article Overview: Most people think that the best way to go about business branding is to spend a lot of money on big, flashy ads that are sure to get a lot of attention. But, while that may work for some, not all of us want to go that route. And, not all of us might have the dollars to do it either. So what is the alternative? How can small business owners build up their brand without breaking their budgets?

Business Branding

Most people think that the best way to go about business branding is to spend a lot of money on big, flashy ads that are sure to get a lot of attention. But, while that may work for some, not all of us want to go that route. And, not all of us might have the dollars to do it either. So what is the alternative? How can small business owners build up their brand without breaking their budgets?

First of all, focus on creating a product that can speak for itself. How many products have you, as a consumer bought because you saw an ad for it versus just because you loved how it looked? I know I never saw a single ad for iPods before buying mine. But when I walked into the store and saw its sleek white design, I knew I had to have it. A great product will convince the consumer to buy it even without an ad. Create a product that is visually appealing and unique and watch it speak for itself.

Another cheap way to build up your brand is to focus on sending out press releases and news stories on a regular basis. But don’t just send out ads that the media are not likely to pick up. Journalists are always hungry for good news stories; if you give them one, they will only be too happy to write about it. Give them some good sound bytes and you’ll have them eating out of your hands.

A key part of business branding is also your company’s website. While keeping your messaging consistent, focus on creating a page that is simple yet professional. Don’t fall into the trap of overloading your page with fancy graphics and animations in the belief that it will wow your visitors. It won’t. They will get annoyed and leave before they even find out what your page is all about.

You should also take advantage of word of mouth. It’s free and it’s a million times more effective than any kind of advertising you will ever buy. Network wherever you can and get people talking about your product. Give out free samples. Encourage high quality customer service. Get in touch with other business or trades people where there could be mutual benefit. Plant the seed and watch it grow.

Finally, remember that for as much as you engage in business branding, if you don’t take care of your own personal branding, it might all be for naught. Remember that first impressions make all the difference in the world. Take care of your own personal hygiene and make sure you have a brief one line statement to summarize what it is exactly that you do. Have a business card on hand so that even once you leave a conversation, you never fully leave that person’s mind. You only have a few minutes to make a lasting impression, so you want to make sure that you’re using them to their fullest potential.

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Article Tags: business card, product, small business owners



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New Small Business Topic - Hello everyone, I'm on the lookout for new topics to add to my site. We just launched a Franchising section and are planning Human Resources section. Do you have any thoughts for a new section? Here's a list of what we currently have: Angel Investors Branding Bank Loans Business Coaching Business Plan Franchises (New) Insurance Legal Marketing Public Relations Sales Small Biz Loans Venture Capital
Del Castienne - International Business and Project Brokers - In addition to the above, Del Castienne is an international brokerage firm specializing in various entrepreneural services. Del Castienne is more than just a brokerage, as we facilitate Private International Venture Capital for Business and Projects from Commodity Speculation Transactions, MBO, MBI, M&A, Bridging Finance, Patents, Branding, JV, Corporate Advisory Services, Business Plan Development, etc.. Del Castienne is linked to 1200 private international Venture Capital consortiums and Funding Syndicates with a funding capacity of $ 115 billion and 5000 international Investment Bankers and Business & Project Brokers. This in itself should provide you with a gateway to the best source of funding in the world. Through Del Castienne any entrepreneur can have up to a potential success rate of 25% (conditions apply) with absolutely no up front costs. Del Castienne charges a maximum of 5% commission which is far below the international standard of 10% - 12% on project value. If you are tired of running back and forth with countless dissappointments, please give us an opportunity to assist you. Our minimum Venture Capital amount is $1 million and we a Commitment Letter can be provided with in 30 days after formalities are in place and your information was received.
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Re: Direct Mail Postcards - [quote="jvprosperity":2r71nzqq]Kevin, your situation is very common. Get's me wondering if advertisers are just being lazy and "blanket" areas with advertising hoping that some will stick and get people to respond. mathew1 used the word "targeted" alot but I think that's what most advertisers are either not doing or not going deep enough in their targeting. I disagree that direct mail is more important to small business. Yes, it get's done more often within small businesses but that's 'cos of a small budget and them being forced to utilize it to it's fullest. Big Business focus so much more on Branding and Image Management since they have larger budgets but they also do a fair bit of direct mail and other methods.[/quote:2r71nzqq] Hi Andy, I'd say "naive" is a better word. In fact, "blanketing" areas with unwanted solicitation/ads is costly and will only hurt small businesses in the eyes of consumers (who will resent it).
Re: Direct Mail Postcards - [quote="Kevin":k7jhujz8]But how do you prevent people from just throwing out your direct mail as unwanted solicitation? Anytime I get direct mail, I toss it out. I've noticed solicitors using cheap tricks like printing the message in "hand writing" to make the letter seem more personal. Who are they trying to fool?[/quote:k7jhujz8] Kevin, your situation is very common. Get's me wondering if advertisers are just being lazy and "blanket" areas with advertising hoping that some will stick and get people to respond. mathew1 used the word "targeted" alot but I think that's what most advertisers are either not doing or not going deep enough in their targeting. I disagree that direct mail is more important to small business. Yes, it get's done more often within small businesses but that's 'cos of a small budget and them being forced to utilize it to it's fullest. Big Business focus so much more on Branding and Image Management since they have larger budgets but they also do a fair bit of direct mail and other methods.


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