10 things you need for strong brand building

From flyingsolo.com.au
by Tim Reid
September 2009

I speak to groups of business owners weekly about what you need for strong brand building. The first thing I emphasise is brands are earned…not bought.

It’s easy to buy a business name, but you need to create a brand.

The next point I make is that it’s important to agree on a simple definition of a brand. For me, a brand is simply an emotional attachment.

These are seriously important concepts in themselves, but we’ll leave them for another day.

So, in no particular order here are the ten things every business owner must do to ensure strong brand building:

1. Know what your brand stands for
   Whilst I may be a marketing consultant in every day speak, my brand is all about making businesses and charities irresistible. That’s what I stand for. Identifying what your brand stands for is the first part of my Brand Character process.
2. Do things properly
   If this means do less, then do less. Avoid cheap, shoddy anything: printing, design, packaging, photography and copy. If this means buying a cheaper office chair, then get a cheaper office chair!
3. Have one designer do everything
   Logo, fliers, website, signage, PowerPoint, stationary and so on. Make sure they know what they’re doing though, particularly in regards to your website.
4. Know your core values
   These should form the basis of all decisions you make in your business and around your brand.
5. Identify your prospects’ problem
   As brand builders we are problem solvers. Make sure your brand clearly says “Hey, I can fix your problem!”
6. Identify your brand’s personality
   then ensure it comes through in all its marketing.
7. Be unique
   Take a look at what the competition is doing, identify the gap and fill it with your brand. If all the brands in your category are black then be white. Great brands challenge their category.
8. Be consistent
   Make sure you present your brand to the market place in exactly the same way no matter what the medium. You are creating one brand…not ten!
9. Socialise it
   Make sure every person within your business knows what your brand stands for. It’s useless having everyone on different pages.
10. Make it visually really interesting
    There are so many boring logos out there, don’t be one of them. Be brave…it pays off.
11. Under promise and over deliver
    All good brands do this. Remember, I promised 10 points…well this is the 11th.

For more from Tim Reid, head to www.flyingsolo.com.au, Australia's online community for solo business owners.