Featured Vendors

AT&T Business Solutions

Brand Institute, Inc.

Corporate Branding Products and Identity Solutions (10% Off)

AT&T Enterprise Solutions

Premier Brand Model

Corporate Brand Consultants

Guide to Developing a Business Brand

No business is too small to develop its own brand

By Daniel Kehrer

Uncommonly
Useful

8.9

out of 10

Add Your Comments

Branding — a hot business buzzword in the '90s — has come front and center again. Small businesses are rediscovering that branding is a surefire way to make or break a product or service, and the company that produces it. Every business can benefit from branding, right down to the independent contractor working alone. It's becoming increasingly vital to keep up. Buyers — either business or consumer — have shorter and shorter attention spans. Entrepreneurs must constantly recharge existing brands and devise new ones. Branding and marketing go together. Says branding guru Laura Ries, of the marketing firm Ries & Ries, "If you can build a powerful brand you will have a powerful marketing program. If you can't, then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales promotions and PR in the world won't help you succeed." Three keys to power-branding:

Effective branding combines Web and off-line elements. It is much more than a customer's reaction to your name or logo. It's the customer's total experience with you, your product or service.
Think what you sell can't be branded? Think again. Almost anything can be branded, including you, personally.
The Web is the only interactive mass medium, so take advantage of it. Use interactive features whenever possible. The future belongs to the up-and-coming businesses that do the best job of building their brands on the Internet.

Business.com's "What Works for Business" blog is a great way to keep up with the latest brand-building solutions, trends and strategies for small and medium business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Discover your own brand

Dive into a world of branding advice and information on the Web.

I recommend: Don't be fooled by the regional name Texas Advertising. This site from the University of Texas Department of Advertising has some terrific stuff – including a long list of sites and other info on Brands and Branding. Brandchannel.com from Interbrand, calls itself the world's only online exchange about branding. It has grown to become a valuable resource to a growing base of subscribers and other readers.

Sign on with a brand development company

If you have the budget for it, brand consultants can help establish your brand and make it stand out above the crowd.

I recommend: Brand development companies: Ries & Ries, Marshall, BrandMarken, and Hanon McKendry. Download a free branding booklet from Boscobel.

Gain insight into the world of brands

The Brand Show, on radio and the Web, offers insight into the world of brands. Through bits and pieces of branding wisdom and a complete lack of preparation, the show dives head first into exploring the brands people love, hate and love to hate.

I recommend: Check The Brand Show site for details. The Origin of Brands Blog by brand expert Laura Ries is worth a look.

Check out the future of business branding - and the past

The "rules" on branding are always changing.

I recommend: Martin Lindstrom is one of the savviest branding experts around. Request his free newsletter on branding. Branding books and DVDs for sale in the Brand Education Center. Adaholic can show you some of the classic branding campaigns of the past.

Build your brand with promotional items

Promotion items are all about gaining exposure for your brand.

I recommend: Branders.com is the world's largest online seller of promotional items for branding a business.

Get a business logo you can brand

One of the key pieces of your brand might be your business, product or service logo.

I recommend: LogoWorks can design and delivery a custom logo fast, and at an affordable price.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

The best brands tend to tap emotions and appeal to a person's natural need for involvement.
Strive for simplicity. Too much information confuses your brand message.
Be original in identifying your brand identity - the thing that sets you apart. Hint: Not quality or service. Everybody does that!
Be consistent with your brand's look, feel and message whenever and wherever they appear.
Avoid trying to be overly "cool" or in-the-moment. Too hard to sustain. The brand must be relevant, but long term.
Base your brand on your customers' needs. Don't know them? Ask your customers.

The official source of Developing a Business Brand is the Brand Name page at Business.com

Featured Vendors

AT&T Business Solutions
The Information You Need to Start, Manage, Move & Grow Your Business.

www.att.com

Brand Institute, Inc.
Branding, naming, online market research, design, regulatory (FDA), paid surveys, package design, corporate identity, survey hosting, & recruiting.

Brand Naming | Market Research | Identity Design | Contact Us

www.brandinstitute.com

Corporate Branding Products and Identity Solutions (10% Off)
Brand your corporate logo or slogan on over 23,000 imprinted promotional products including personalized pens, stress balls, and trade show giveaways.

Company Pens | Logo Stress Balls | Company Logo Mugs | Custom Tote Bags

www.qualitylogoproducts.com/brand-identity

AT&T Enterprise Solutions
The Most Innovative Network Mngmnt Capabilities in Telecommunications.

att.com/enterprise

Related Resources from Business.com

Recommended Solution Providers

Fuelhaus: Brand Strategy

Fuelhaus provides brand research, analysis, and development services.

Bolt: Branding Services

Bolt provides qualitative and quantitative research, as well as product name and graphic design and packaging in the development of strategic business branding.

BIG: Brand Identity Guru

Brand Identity Guru helps clients discover, build and develop their unique product identities in ways that improve their customers' image.

CoreBrand: Brand Marketing Communications Services

CoreBrand helps their clients establish, direct, and lead the process of marketing their brands.

Best Sites to Learn More

About.com: Brand Marketing

Provides articles and on how to build a "value-added" brand in and create an effective, integrated branding strategy.

Best Blogs and Forums

Allaboutbranding.com: How to Develop a Business Brand

This blog is devoted to all aspects of developing and managing a brand.

IABC Measurement Commons

This blog contains a primer for understanding the value of branding as well as advice for more experienced marketers.

Mantra Brand Consulting: How to Develop a Business Brand

Mantra Brand Consulting offers a blog focusing on the business of branding.

Dave Young's Branding Blog

This blog features news and information about brand marketing strategies.

Comments

Loading Comments...