Brand Development for Small Business.

Many small business people think brand development means creating a great logo, then slapping it up in as many places as they can afford.

It’s important to have a great logo – after all, it visually defines who you are and provides a symbol for recognition of your brand. But it is simply one piece of the brand strategy pie.

Effective branding that will grow business year after year requires thought and planning.

In a nutshell, brand development should include a strong, identifiable brand that resonates with your consumer, which is delivered in consistent and creative ways.

It’s that simple.

Okay, not really. But it’s not rocket science, either.

Why develop a strong brand?

We’ve all seen weak brands. We may not remember them, but we’ve seen them. Pretty forgettable stuff.

Which is the main reason why you want your brand development to be strong and mighty. You can’t sell much product or many services if no one remembers who you are. Additionally, a strong brand will:

Motivate and resonate - With your brand, you are delivering the message that you are the solution to the problem. You are the answer to the need. And what they need is to buy.

Personify - Your brand should reflect who you are as a company and as a product/service. Your brand identity should give you credibility and communicate who you are (or who you want to be) to your target.

Form an emotional connection - Your brand needs to connect to your target market by being who/what they need it to be when they need it. You want them to think you understand them in a way even their mother doesn’t.

Build loyalty - Ever wonder why you use some brands over and over, while others you just toss away? Ever wonder how brands like Nike, Apple, and Starbucks build such fierce loyalists? Simply, they know their target market intimately, and they have crafted their brands to fit them like a glove. They have built brands that inspire confidence in their target, and define how they view themselves. Tap into the psyche of your target, and you will tap into a gold mine. For more information on how to define your target market, click here.

Defining your brand.

If you want to build a company and/or product to last, do the upfront work necessary for strong brand development, or to strengthen an existing brand. That’s why the first step is to define your brand. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Who you are? What products/services do you offer?

2. How do you define yourself in the market? What are your competitive advantages and disadvantages? How do your customers view you? Is this how you want to be viewed? If not, what needs to change?

3. What are your core values? These are the qualities that define your company and form who you are and what your brand stands for.

4. What are your core competencies? What do you do better than anyone else?

5. What’s your brand objective? What is it you hope your brand will achieve? (Do you want to become the industry leader? Sell a specific amount of product, or gain a certain number of new clients over a certain time period?) What do you want your competitors to say about you? What do you want your customers to say about you?

6. What’s your brand promise? Also called a “brand proposition” and a “brand statement.” I like the word “promise” much better. This is simply what you are promising your consumer will happen if they use your product or service. And it must be engaging, clearly understandable, and emotionally apropos to your target. Remember that a promise is a promise, so if your brand doesn’t deliver your promise, your new customers will quickly fade into the sunset. Build your brand promise on what your brand can deliver.

The brand is everything.

From the way your product is presented on shelf, or your service is communicated to the public, to how the receptionist answers your phone, your brand is defined by both the huge and the small. It’s the sum total of all your moving parts.

Never underestimate the importance of even the littlest thing when it comes to brand development and brand strategy.

After all, the battle for the hearts and minds of your target is just that…a battle. And you want to be on the winning side.

I hope you found something on this page that will help you with your own brand development. I am constantly adding to the web site, so be sure to check back often to see if I have more Brand Development advice.

To find out how to develop a Positioning Statement, click here.

To see how you can add Brand Personality to your advertising, click here.

Click here to find out how to cultivate Extreme Brand Loyalty.