A company’s brand helps differentiate it from competitors, build loyalty among customers and solidify its credibility. Cultivating a brand isn’t just for large corporations, and Better Business Bureau is offering advice for small business owners on how to get an edge through branding.Develop the BrandDefine the company. Define the business and craft the desired image, or how consumers will come to know the business. Perhaps the brand is focused on timely service, low-prices, or even as being environmentally friendly. A brand can encompass more than one idea, but too many concepts may be hard to deliver and will confuse the public.Identify the customer. Business owners need to look outward and consider the clientele they want to attract. Is the customer younger or older, tech savvy or computer illiterate? Once identified, a business must consider what is important to that customer and base the brand around their ideals.Consider the competition. Every business has competition and that competition also has a brand to maintain. Take time to think about the competition’s brand and how to capitalize on the differences between the two companies to reach out to a different customer base.Refine the Brand
Get a second opinion. After developing an initial idea for the company’s brand positioning and personality, business owners should share their thoughts with employees, management and loyal customers to make sure the branding concepts are easy to understand and can be delivered on.Use buzzwords. Business owners should consider using strong buzzwords that they know will resonate with their customers. Identify buzzwords by searching for keywords and researching other brands online to find out which words worked for them.Consider the aesthetics. Spend time developing positive images to bring the brand language to life and help communicate the company’s personality. The development of the logo is a key, but business owners also need to consider fonts, colors and images to support the brand image.Enforce the BrandEmployee training. The success of the brand rests on delivering results, and employees play a key role in this. A brand is reinforced or damaged depending on how the staff carries itself and how the customer is treated. Employees must be properly trained on how to communicate the brand in their day-to-day operations.Emphasize the logo. A logo plays an extremely important role in expressing the company’s positioning. The company logo should support the brand and appear on everything the customer will see: advertising, business cards, signs and e-mails.Maintain consistency. After undergoing a branding or re-branding effort don’t forget brand maintenance. Business owners need to maintain compliance and consistency when it comes to language, fonts, colors and images.For more business articles, visit http://www.tucson.bbb.org and select “tips” from our Business page.