A strong brand
A strong brand
6 benefits of a strong brand…
…and the 4Cs of brand management
© 2005 Clarity Marketing Ltd www.clarity-in-communication.com
1
Branding – can it really work for the small business?
If you think of a brand, what comes to mind? CocaCola, Virgin, Hertz, Orange? It’s easy to think of branding as being for the big boys with big bucks. But that’s not to say that only large corporates can play the branding game.
Small companies really should be able to build strong brands too. They have every reason to be close to their market, to understand it well and to build the relationship that’s at the heart of every brand. But all too often, smaller businesses fail to take advantage of the opportunities that branding offers because of preconceptions about what branding really is.
1.
A brand is just another word for a logo – and I’ve got one of those
Your brand is far more than your logo, then – it is about the values of, and your vision for, your business; it is the personality of your business and the promise that it makes to your customers.
Your brand values will define what your business stands for and will inform your decision making on many levels, from recruiting staff with the right attitude and approach to choosing the promotional methods that you use. Your brand reflects the way your business behaves and the way it portrays itself; your logo is just one of the ways your business makes itself visible.
2.
Branding is just a bit fluffy, there’s no real substance to it
It’s true that brands appeal to the emotions ant that everyone will have an instant emotional reaction to your brand but that’s because the human brain is wired to react that way – and there’s nothing ‘fluffy’ about that. Anyone who ignores the impact of that instant reaction is missing the opportunity to connect with their customers at an instinctive level.
3.
Brands are only for consumer products, they’re not relevant to my service business
6 benefits of a strong brand…
…and the 4Cs of brand management
© 2005 Clarity Marketing Ltd www.clarity-in-communication.com
1
Branding – can it really work for the small business?
If you think of a brand, what comes to mind? CocaCola, Virgin, Hertz, Orange? It’s easy to think of branding as being for the big boys with big bucks. But that’s not to say that only large corporates can play the branding game.
Small companies really should be able to build strong brands too. They have every reason to be close to their market, to understand it well and to build the relationship that’s at the heart of every brand. But all too often, smaller businesses fail to take advantage of the opportunities that branding offers because of preconceptions about what branding really is.
1.
A brand is just another word for a logo – and I’ve got one of those
Your brand is far more than your logo, then – it is about the values of, and your vision for, your business; it is the personality of your business and the promise that it makes to your customers.
Your brand values will define what your business stands for and will inform your decision making on many levels, from recruiting staff with the right attitude and approach to choosing the promotional methods that you use. Your brand reflects the way your business behaves and the way it portrays itself; your logo is just one of the ways your business makes itself visible.
2.
Branding is just a bit fluffy, there’s no real substance to it
It’s true that brands appeal to the emotions ant that everyone will have an instant emotional reaction to your brand but that’s because the human brain is wired to react that way – and there’s nothing ‘fluffy’ about that. Anyone who ignores the impact of that instant reaction is missing the opportunity to connect with their customers at an instinctive level.
3.
Brands are only for consumer products, they’re not relevant to my service business