What’s the payoff on branding?

Think of a future where you never ask “where’s my next client coming from?”

Most small businesses, think that brands and brand equity are something best left to the corporate giants. You probably think creative development, integrated messages and planning are a waste of time and money when the printing company down the street will design a logo for free.

Why bother? Because every year starts anew with the same issues: you have to create a steady cash flow stream, you need to take care of the customers you have but attract new customers, you need to find business and at the same time you need to keep working as the CEO/CFO/HR exec and top project manager. It’s all about working smarter and a consistent brand image will act as a revenue generating tool rather than a short-term expense.

A brand identity is more than just a visual symbol or logo design – it defines your company’s unique service promise, builds lasting brand recognition and invokes positive recall. A strong brand enhances your company’s credibility by integrating your brand strategy with consistent graphic application across all markets and customer contact points.

Think about this – if your brand communicates more than price by defining the value you build within your product and service, you have created a value proposition. Your customer may be motivated to pay a premium if he/she believes your brand stands for something. By occupying a value-added position in the customer’s mind, you stand above the competition and can command a premium for your product/service.

What goes into creating a brand?

It’s much more than creating an eye-catching logo. That’s part of it, but the logo has to stand for something significant in your business, it has to work in a visual communications system and it has to be more distinctive than your competitors. Above all, it has to be appropriate for your business sector.

When you create a brand these are the steps advised:

Visual brand identity: This step encompasses creating a logo, a graphics system and standards, layouts for stationary/business cards, a sample web page, a brochure and/or sales kit. To be effective, these materials should work together to communicate a coordinated image. Small businesses think they are saving money by having a printing company design a free logo; then wonder why their business cards, brochures and websites never really seem to match. To create a brand that works for your business, you need to identify a brand director—either a person or a team who creates and manages your brand identity to ensure consistency. Some businesses do this with a marketing agency; others work with a team of consultants.

Message identity: This process defines a statement about what your company does that the customers value—the benefit you provide from selling or delivering your product/service. This is further defined in a set of key messages that clearly answer who you are, what your customers value and how you provide benefit.

Communications tools: These range from printed materials to video, websites, advertising, even blogs and podcasts. Most small businesses have a “do-it-yourself” approach to marketing and this is the cause of most branding mistakes.

You wouldn’t fill your own cavity,so why do you think you can create your own marketing materials?