A brand is a collection of images or ideas that embody your product, service, or business. Things like name, logo, slogan, and design can contribute to your brand. Creating a strong brand image around your product can help build customer loyalty and encourage your customers to evangelize your business to their friends and family.
A strong brand is a value-added aspect of products for many consumers. Often times consumers will buy a product, even at a premium, simply because of the associated brand. For example, consumers might pay extra for Tropicana orange juice rather than buy the generic OJ because of the strong brand associated with the Tropicana name.
So what is associated with a brand and how can you build yours on a budget?
Name and Slogan
Your company name is important. Chances are if you’re reading this you’ve already settled on your company name. Changing your name midstream is never a good idea, so we’ll work with what we have. Memorable brands have short, easy to remember and easy to spell names. If your company name is long, try to shorten it in your marketing by using an abbreviated form. For example, if your company is called “O’Toole’s Neighborhood Pharmacy and General Store” get in the habit of always referring to it as simply “O’Toole’s,” because that is what your customers will likely say and it is easier to remember.
Slogans are an important part of a company’s brand, but have less permanence than the company name. Often, companies will change their slogan in an effort to “re-brand” their company with a new image or create a new slogan for each marketing campaign they run. To write an effective slogan make a list of the things your store embodies. Things like “friendly service,” “full selection,” “low prices,” etc. Then write out as many short phrases that succinctly impart that image–keep it to no more than 5 words! Run your favorite options by friends, family, and employees and pick the most popular one.
Image and Logo
Your logo and company image are perhaps the most important part of your brand. A proper logo should be simple, easy to read, memorable, and easy to reproduce in a multitude of formats (i.e., on a sign, on your window, on flyers, menus, in ads, on business cards, bags, t-shirts).
Designing a logo can be expensive, but there are ways to do it cheaply thanks to the Internet. One of the most popular methods for creating a logo on a budget is to use a design contest. In a design contest, multiple designers submit mock-ups for you to evaluate, and you can generally get a quality logo designed for $150-300. Popular design contest sites include GFXContests.com, DesignContest.net, SitePoint.
Another option for quality logo creation on the cheap is LogoMaker , which allows you to quickly and easily create your logo using an online application. LogoMaker
also provides tools to put your logo onto promotional products like t-shirts and business cards.
Your logo should be prominently displayed across all of your marketing materials: ads, flyers, business cards, on your company car or van, bags, etc. Also, remember to upload it to your ShowMeLocal.com business profile as your main image!
Further, develop a color scheme that matches your logo (a designer can help you to do this). Use this color scheme consistently across your marketing. Your business card, the paint job at your store, uniforms for employees, etc. should all match. This will unify all the aspects of your brand image and make your brand more memorable to your customers.
Do Something Memorable
Do something to set your store apart from the competition; something simple and memorable and perhaps unusual that will keep your customers thinking about your store. For example, always use purple bags for your merchandise (or whatever color you like—and is echoed in your logo!). Or hold a special sale on your birthday every year that is well publicized. Or name items on your menu after people or places in your town, city, or state. Get creative! Something memorable can quickly become part of your image and get people talking about your store. It can also help build “brand loyalty” where your customers will subconsciously prefer to shop at your store because they are familiar with your quirk. And, it will make something from your store instantly recognizable (i.e., when your customers see someone carrying that purple bag around town they’ll instantly think of your store–and the more your customers think of your store, the better!).
Pulling It All Together
In order to create a strong brand, you’ll want to start getting your name, slogan, logo, and trademark color scheme out there as much as possible. Below are some places that will help you get your brand out in the world.
VistaPrint – Create business cards and hand them out customers and business associates. Your business card should have information about how to contact you, store hours (if applicable), location, and of course, your logo and slogan. Remember to put your ShowMeLocal.com URL (website address) on your business card and all other promotional material (such as flyers, take-out menus, ads, etc.) so that your customers can find you online!
CafePress – Promotional products are a great way to get your logo out to customers on a regular basis. If you have customers wearing t-shirts, using coffee mugs, calendars, etc. with your logo on it then they are not only seeing it and thinking about your business more often, they are also likely to be sharing it with others without knowing it.
Stamps.com– Custom stamps with your logo and business name will make all of your correspondence seem more official and give your business the feel of a major corporation for a low cost.
LogoMaker – Create a professional logo in just minutes.
Design A Shirt – An important part of branding is making your logo and name recognizable. A great way to do that is to get your customers to wear your advertising. Design A Shirt
lets you create t-shirts sporting your name, logo, and/or slogan.
iPrint and VistaPrint – Both iPrint and VistaPrintlet you put your logo on a number of professionally printed promotional products like flyers, business cards, door hangers, rubber stamps, posters, or stickers. It is important to remember to keep all of your marketing and printed materials consistent across your business with the same logo and design. This will reinforce your brand image and build it into your customers’ minds.
Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business (Guerrilla Marketing)
American Incorporators, LegalZoom
– While not necessarily related to branding, it is important for businesses to incorporate for a number of other reasons. Eventually most businesses will incorporate, and rather than changing all of your marketing and branding material later to include “Inc.” (or “LLC” or “Corp.”, etc.) it is a good idea to incorporate now with American Incorporators
or LegalZoom
and prepare your branding materials right the first time.
