Making & Keeping Your Online Brand

For many businesses the creating of your brand and maintaining it is a skill that is lacking and can be difficult to learn let alone implement. To many a brand is simply a name a symbol or something easily distinguishable to help people identify with the product r service. Now while that is true, a brand can be and is much much more. It can be what defines the company. It can be the identity that customers recognize whey they see it, subliminally. It can be the comfort factor to your customers.

Now, no one can tell you what your brand should be, what is should include, what if should be defined as, but there is a framework to understanding a b rand’s importance to your bottom line and how you can help your business achieve the kind of business and market share to your most important customers and prospects as you start to put a more formal brand identity in place.

As seen in some marketing studies, during a recession some companies have learned that cutting brand oriented advertising only resulted in lower sales and lower profits. Even worse, performance continued to lag with the recovery came about. The reason that a brand is supported by a well designed advertising campaign is that users are more likely to be convinced to pay for products that bring comfort. Branding is that, it is comfort in what you know. On the other side of the coin, branding is about expectations. People expect to get what they have always gotten from a certain product or service. These qualities are what make it special. Unique. Sought after. Not only does branding tell what the buyer is getting in name alone, but brings a sense of confidence.

As you create your brands profile you need to be sensitive to what makes it unique, important and different to the end customer. It does make any difference what you think.

So how do you do Brand Creation?

1: Identify the human side and the unique personality of your product or service. Who are tin influences and advocates of your product and how does that impact your products image. (Do I hear a need for a focus group?)

2: Find the values in your brand and what they stand for. Its history, the stories, the people. Might even be worth a few interviews.

3: Find the emotional benefits to your brand. Yes this is going away from pain and going towards pleasure part to sales and marketing, Very strong emotional pull. (Does this call for a survey?)

4: Find the core beliefs in your product. As you start to collect your information and data create the kind of Mission statement that really defines your product as to what it is and what you what it to stand for.

5: Take your mission statement and refine it down into a core 1 line statement. This becomes the slogan of your brand. Its core benefits and beliefs

6: Now take all this good stuff and use it to influence the identity of your brand where ever you can, Online, print, mail, brochures, salespeople, etc.

Part 2: Maintaining your Brand

Now that you have it, how do you keep it?

1: Are you unique, in color, logo etc. You need to stand out (once your there) so you are NOT confused with anyone else, competition or anyone else.

2: Is your material being used consistently all across and in your current sales and marketing attack? Review and get in line with yourself.

3: Is your “material” be it print or electronic, memorial? Does it stand out from the crowd? Are there other things that could be used to tie your name and message together in a deep way for your target audience?

4: Is your material all understandable? Watch your words. Too much jargon can make or break you.

5: Is your material honest and truthful of do you stretch the facts a bit? Keep it on target and don’t over step your bounds on claims. Let your “fans” do that for you.

6: Is the material professional? You might need to hire a pro here, not the kid down the street.


Larson Notes & Satire: You are already out there marketing and selling stuff. Now it’s time to get serious. Get real with your company and yourself. If you’re playing games you get games. If you are for real, look and act like a professional, here, there everywhere both in your advertising and marking and yes, your personal stature and presence. You too are part of your company’s brand.



Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
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