When we speak of branding most of the time people
try to relate it to big business house, however, the fact is that every
business needs to establish their brand in order to survive the
competition. This is nothing new; experts and management gurus had been
preaching the same sermon for years now but what they have not told is
why you need to brand your small business? How is branding going to
help you to establish your business? How can you establish your brand
without spending a fortune on it?
You might be having a very small business but would you like your
client to perceive your business as a small time entrepreneurial
effort? Definitely not, and your business cards, letterheads and other
marketing collaterals does just that. They create an impression to your
clients that you are an established business house of considerable
strength and not just a mom-n-pop shop.
While you have read till this much, you might have started to plan to
get a few home printed business cards or visit the website where you
saw the preformatted business cards being sold for peanuts. Beware! The
quality of your business card is an indication of the status of your
business and your clients are intelligent enough to understand the
difference between a standard designed perforated business card and a
professionally designed business card printed on good quality card
stock.
Most of us, including you, would prefer to consider the stability of a
company before making a purchase decision. Once you have established
your brand with a professionally designed logo, business card and other
marketing efforts it becomes much easier for you to build your
credibility among the customers.
Getting a professionally designed custom logo is one of the very
important elements of branding a business. A logo is not just a symbol
or a piece of graphics; it is actually your corporate identity. A
properly designed logo can leave long lasting impression on your
clients and will never let your business slip out of their minds. It
also makes your business easily recognizable. Just think, wherever you
see the Golden M of McDonald’s do you really need to think twice, what
company is that referring to? A good logo should ideally exude the
nature and attitude of the business.
Once you have got a logo for yourself it becomes easier for you to
establish your brand. You can use that logo in your business cards,
letterheads and other accessories. Don’t you think it is going to make
a difference if the pack that you use to deliver your products to your
customer has the logo of your company on it? And if you are using a
reusable pack, your customer might just use the same pack to pass on
some other goods to one of his friends- what happens then? Yes! Your
logo gets noticed by one other person, you add one more name to the
list of your potential customers. You are on your way to establish your
own brand.
Similarly with business cards, as they get passed on from one person to
the other, more and more people knows about your business and the
potential customer base increases.
Having a business card or professionally designed logo also shows your
commitment towards your business.
A short, easy to remember punch line is another useful tool for
branding. Getting a tag line printed on your business cards or your
business stationery makes it easier for people to understand the nature
of your business. Ideally, your tag line should not only say about what
you do but also speak about your USP.
Having said all that, the ultimate question that most of the small
business people would have is, how much does it cost to get all these
things done? I’d say, “not much”. Money is always a problem for most of
the small businesses (that’s why they are small, otherwise most of us
would like to open a Microsoft and be as rich as Bill Gates) but if you
know where to look for, you really don’t need to spend a fortune to get
a professionally designed logo or a business card. There are loads of
websites that offer them really cheap and some even allow you to decide
the price that you want to pay. (Check out this twin sites,
http://www.mycorporatelogo.com and http://www.mycorporateidentity.com ).
So, if you think you are tired of being a “small business” and its time
to grow up, take the first step; establish your brand!
About the Author: Ray Smith
is a marketing expert with years of experience in different industries
and specialized knowledge on branding and internet marketing.http://www.mycorporatelogo.com Source: www.isnare.com |
