Establishing Your Brand

 Establishing your brand takes work, but the good news is, no one knows your business like you do. Get to the core of what you offer people and figure out a way to make an emotional connection with your prospects and you're on your way. Doing so will help your prospects know who you are and make it easier for them to remember you when it comes time to purchase. It’s important to invest time in this.

Here are some tips to help you along the way.

7 Rules to Establishing Your Brand

1.  It's not about you - it's about them. What do you offer to make your prospects' lives better, easier, happier, more fulfilling, etc? What's in it for them and is 'that' something that will change in time? If so, dig deeper. Get to the root of what you offer people. That core ideal is your brand. That is how you will build your brand value and establish brand equity.

2.  Make them feel it. People buy on emotion. Create an emotional connection, then make your sales pitch. Your goal is to make them passionate about what you are offering. You want 'them' to become your brand evangelists - telling anyone and everyone how great your product/service is.

3. KISS it. Keep it Simple Silly! Don't complicate your brand. You have seconds to grab your prospects’ attention. People today don't have the time to dissect what you are saying. Make it easy for them to understand.

4.  Short is better than long. Again, time is precious. If you have a tag line, less is more. Think of Nike - Just do it. They didn't over explain it. Over explaining could result in diluting your brand.

5.  Stay the course. Once you decide on your brand, stick with it. Don't bastardize your logo and don't let anyone else. Consistency is critical here. If you can't consistently identify who you are, don't expect your prospects to. If you are presenting to a client, create a presentation that looks the same as your website. Have your website look like your marketing collateral. Your business cards and letterhead should also carry this same look.

6.  Have a Corporate Look & Feel. Your marketing pieces - print and web - need to carry the same look and feel. Why? Because when someone picks up your brochure or visits your website you need for them to know - without reading a word - that it's yours. Carrying the same look and feel across your marketing materials can help you establish brand awareness and ease recall. Make it easy for people to remember who you are. 

7.  Protect Your Brand. Your brand is your business. Protect it. If you have a tag line, trademark it. It's not that expensive and it will help you protect your brand.

These rules can help you establish your brand, build brand awareness in the minds of your prospects, improve brand recall, and increase your brand equity. Really put thought into this. If what you offer changes, your brand should remain constant. Again, look at Nike. They have a great deal of product extensions and lines, but their core brand remains constant.

I hope this helps you! Good luck.