Brand Communication

Small business branding and beyond

Having a well known, easily identifiable brand can be worth its weight in gold. In these times of consumer cynicism, a brand name synonymous with integrity, quality and reliability can give you the edge over your competitors.

What is business branding?

• How the public relates to your business

• How your business is represented to the public

• The name of your business and the image it creates

• Logo design

• Legal advise relating to brand names and the protection of intellectual property

• Train employees to be champions of your brand. Explain your brand strategy to your employees and have caps, t-shirts and bags for your staff. Give them something to be proud of. Explain that how they do their job has a direct impact on the company's image and brand.

• Encourage word of mouth. Provide incentives for your customers to tell friends and relatives about your company.

• Use your brand strategy to communicate your values to your customers. Display your mission statement, customer service standards and policies.

• Use positive interactions to promote your brand. How you act toward your customers and the public, both on a day-to-day basis and during extraordinary circumstances, helps to cement the business image and brand into the customer's mind.

• Make the heritage of the business part of the brand. If you're a locally owned family business competing with the large multinational giants, make sure people know that.

• Use slogans to enhance your brand. "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom" is the catchphrase of a popular advertisement for Mazda. "Just Do It", says Nike. Slogans used correctly can stick in the minds of customers and contribute to a feeling that consumers enjoy and relate to the business.

• Keeping your company and brand in front of the customer as much as possible goes a long way to having a customer remember your business when it counts.

• Make your brand memorable. In addition to an effective company name, it helps when people have material reminders reinforcing the identity of companies with whom they may want to do repeat business.