FN Grafix

Branding - How to Make Your Business Stand out from the Crowd!

A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business.
A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, colour combination or slogan.
By simply adding the right colour, logo and/or images you can create a strong, vibrant business brand that will set you apart from your competitors.
You have to be consistent with your brand. You can fine tune but don’t change it dramatically.
A legally protected brand name is called a trademark.

Your Brand is Your Personality

It’s what your customers think of you and say about you when they’ve left your company.
Your brand is what your company stands for and what it is known for.
A brand creates an image in the mind of the consumer.
It says something is different at your firm, something worth more than business as usual.

How can branding benefit my business?

Memorability / loyalty / familiarity, premium image / premium price, experience / reliability, extensions, greater company equity, lower marketing expenses and for consumers, less risk.

The strength of a brand for a small business can be increased with some simple actions:

• Define who you are talking to, really get to know their needs and wants;
• Match your products and services to the people you want to sell to;
• Define what they are looking for and where they look for it; and
• Make sure your products and services can be found where they are looking!

Your business and your brand are the same thing, so focusing on your brand helps focus the direction of the business.

When looking for a brand; research the industry and consider these 10 things;

1. Company Name; The name needs to give customers an idea of the personal service they could expect
2. Company Conviction; tag line: “Consider it done…well!” is fundamental to the way the company operates
3. Company Colours; what makes you different from other operators, choose vibrant colours
4. Company Uniform; invest in a professional uniform
5. Company Website; this reflects the professional attitude of the company
6. Company Employees; expectations are high
7. Company Conscious; one of the first company’s to......
8. Company Vehicles; sign-writing gives a professional look, it supports the brand and brings in more business
9. Company Advertising; limited traditional advertising, but when you do advertise, it must maintain the same look and feel
10. Miscellaneous: Everything from the way the phone is answered to the way the company deals with client feedback, feeds back into your brand.

So, brand is not just advertising and the way you communicate about your business, but it’s the way customers actually feel about it based on the way you are running it, and in comparison to your competitors. Getting your brand right or reinvigorating a stale one can set your business on the path to success.