0 The Basics of Strong Brand Building

We recently undertook a review of the ineedhits company values and it got me thinking about how companies are perceived by outsiders. Or more specifically, how a company builds and promotes its brand to influence how it is seen by outsiders.

I would argue that branding should be the very first marketing mix element that you tackle. It’s easy to create a business name, but you need to build branding around this name for it to be successful.
So, I thought I would list some things business owners should consider to ensure they build a strong brand for their business:

• Know what your brand stands for

Identify what your business stands for by making sure it clearly tells people: “Hey, I can fix your problem!”

• Do your branding properly

Avoid cheap & shoddy printing, design, packaging, photography and copy. Any sub-par versions will look cheap and influence a person’s perception of your brand and therefore your company in general.

• Identify and re-iterate your core values

This is something we have just reviewed at ineedhits and have produced a new mission statement:
Helping small to medium businesses be more profitable via their online presence.
Your core values should form the basis of all decisions you make in your business. What’s your mission statement?

• Give your brand personality

This will make your business stand out from your competitor. Oh and don’t forget to allow this personality to shine through in all of your marketing efforts.

• Consistency, consistency, consistency

This is without a doubt, one of the most important elements of branding. You must present your brand to the market place exactly the same way, all the time. If you don’t, you’re likely to leave customers/prospects confused.

• Get all your employees on the same page

All of your employees need to know what your brand stands for, so they can apply this in every aspect of their work.

• Make your logo ‘pop’

I can’t tell you how often I come across logo’s that are just down-right boring. Here’s a tip – stand out from the crowd, be brave and the creativity will pay off.
This is by no means a definitive brand building list, what else would you add?