Erin Ferree
What Is A Brand?
Creating a brand is one of the most important things that
you'll do in the establishment of your small business. But
defining what "brand" means can be a tricky task. There are
so many different approaches to branding a business and so
many elements of a brand. The most accurate definition I
know is:
A brand is the collection of perceptions that your customer
has about your business.
Here's another definition from Wikipedia that goes a little
more in-depth into all of the facets of a brand:
In marketing, a brand is the symbolic embodiment of all the
information connected with a product or service. A brand
typically includes a name, logo, and other visual elements
such as images or symbols. It also encompasses the set of
expectations associated with a product or service which
typically arise in the minds of people. Such people include
employees of the brand owner, people involved with
distribution, sale or supply of the product or service, and
ultimate consumers.
This definition usually makes a small business owner feel
rather powerless over their brands. Since, in its' simplest
definition, a brand is created in your customers' mind -
from their perspective and experiences, it may seem that
there isn't a lot that you can do to shape or control the
outcome. For example, if a customer has a bad experience,
or happens to be in a bad mood when they work with you,
there's a good chance that their impression of your company
will be less than favorable. However, there are a lot of
actions that you can take to influence and to help shape
your customers' thoughts about your business, and to work
towards making those more positive.
Let's start by looking at how large enterprises approach
"branding." Enterprises typically devote a rather
substantial budget to "brand-building." Generally, the
process of brand-building begins with hiring big thinking
branding consultants to define a business's brand. Then,
focus groups are conducted with current and potential
customers to make sure that the branding is on the right
track. After the branding has been refined, corporate
messaging will be developed to reinforce the brand, and a
brand identity will be designed to visually communicate
about the brand. Many enterprises will also put together an
advertising and/or public relations campaign to spread the
word about their brand and to gain some brand recognition.
There are many more activities that large businesses can do
to build brand awareness and to create equity in their
brands.
But this approach makes branding a particularly difficult
task for a small business. Small businesses typically do
not have the budget for research, high-priced consultants,
and nationwide ad campaigns. And rarely do they have the
time or internal resources to devote to the creation and
management of a brand. On top of all of this, many of those
tasks just aren't appropriate to help small businesses
create the results that they need with their brands.
I typically condense small business branding to a much more
compact-and economical-package:
• Brand Definition: This is the process of defining your
business: Who you are, what you do, who you can best help,
and what makes you different from your competition. You
must have all of these factors well-defined to create an
effective brand. If your thoughts in all of these areas
aren't clear, concise, and well-put, then you can't hope to
effectively direct your customers' thoughts about your
business. Worse yet, you might wind up looking like you
have "multiple personality syndrome," which can thoroughly
confuse your customers.
• Brand Identity: also known as the graphic "face" of your
business. Small businesses certainly benefit from creating
a logo and a consistent set of marketing materials. Forty
percent of people better remember what they see as opposed
to what they hear or read. So having an iconic logo and a
strong visual vocabulary used throughout your materials
greatly increases your business's memorability - and makes
it more likely that your customers will think about you.
The colors, fonts, and symbols that you use throughout your
Brand Identity can also communicate your Brand Definition
to your customers in a visual way that's more powerful than
using words alone.
• Brand Messaging: This is the way that you talk about
your business. What is the main message that you want to
tell people about your business? What do you want them to
remember about you, and how would you like them to pass the
word along to others they meet? You can influence many of
the thoughts that your customers have about you, and how
they talk about you, by having consistent messaging in your
marketing materials.
• Brand Service: This is how you perform your tasks,
relate to your customers, and deliver your products or
services. Customer service is a part of a company's brand
that's often overlooked, because it's not seen as a part of
an advertising or marketing campaign. But with the
definition of a brand being so customer-focused, keep in
mind that the way that you serve your customers is one of
your biggest points of contact with them and the experience
can really shape their opinions. Make sure that your
service and business practices are in-line with your brand,
whether you're relating to existing clients or new
prospects.
If you address all four of these branding points in your
small business, and keep your customers in mind throughout
your brand-building efforts, your brand will be an
effective way for you to form a connection with your
clients and prospects, and will make your business stronger.
----------------------------------------------------
Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big
visibility for small businesses. As the owner of elf
design, Erin is passionate about helping her clients stand
out in front of their competition and attract more clients.
Her "Define Your Difference Branding Workbook" will help
you with your brand definition - the most important step in
the branding process.
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