Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

5 Things Everyone Should Know About Branding

Rob Marsh, COO Logoworks

For the past ten years, branding has been a hot topic. Experts have written thousands of books and articles, and presented hundreds of workshops that detail what it is and how to do it. Want to create an iconic brand? There are several books that can help. Want a legendary brand? There are books for that too. How about a guerilla brand, a techno-brand, a digital brand, an emotional brand, a simple brand, a primal brand, a luxury brand, or a successful brand? The list is almost endless and there’s a book or seminar telling you how to create all these and more.

If you’re like most small business owners, you simply don’t have the time (or desire) to sort through it all. So if you’re not a branding expert, is branding something you should even worry about?

Absolutely.

But probably not in the ways you might expect. In order to explain what that means, let’s answer a few of the most common questions business owners ask branding.

1. What is branding?

You’ve probably heard the Indian folk tale about the five blind men who were asked to describe an elephant. One man took hold of the tail and said the elephant was like a rope, frayed at the end. The second man held the elephant’s ear and described it as a thin, leathery fan. The third felt the thick, rough skin of the elephant’s leg and said it was like the trunk of a tree. The men holding the trunk and tusk offered different descriptions of what an elephant was. Of course, they were all right—and all wrong.

Branding experts have offered different descriptions of branding and the best ways to do it. Often they, like the men touching the elephant, are describing the different parts of branding. Designers talk about branding as it relates to the logo and trade dress (the look of the packaging and store). Most advertisers think about branding as it relates to television and radio commercials. An Operations Director, Technology Manager, Customer Service Agent, and Salesperson will all have different opinions of what branding is. So how do you bring all these parts together into one whole?

Simply put, your business is your brand.

Said another way, your brand includes all of the elements that make up your business. It starts with your product or service, but also includes your logo, your store front, your delivery vehicles, the person who answers your phones, your return policies, your service guarantee, your advertising, your partners… you get the picture.

2. I have a logo. Isn’t this my brand?

Your logo is the most recognizable element of your brand. Because of this, many people use the two terms (logo and brand) interchangeably. There is no doubt that a great logo helps customers remember and recognize your product or service more easily. But your logo is simply a graphic representation of all the other parts of your brand—it’s visual short-hand for all the great things your business does. The logo is important, critical even. But it isn’t your brand.

3. Does branding require a big marketing budget?

While money definitely makes it easier, great branding doesn’t require deep pockets. But it does take thought, a bit of creativity, and a willingness to try different things. When Geek Squad founder, Robert Stephens, started his business, he needed a way to stand out from all the other guys providing a similar service. So he bought a unique car and wore a short-sleeve, white shirt and skinny, clip-on tie. And he focused on delivering one-of-the kind service (including little details like returning calls within a few minutes and taking off his shoes as he entered a home). There were dozens of other consultants offering similar services, but Stephens stood out. His customers remembered the service, the unique uniform, the black and white car, and—this is the important part—they called him again when they needed him. Today Geek Squad is a big business, but it wasn’t too long ago that Robert Stephens was a small business owner with no budget and a creative idea for making his business stand out from the crowd.

4. How do I get people talking about my brand?

There are as many answers to this question as there are business ideas. Again, it takes creativity and a little work, but there are literally thousands of ways to do it. The very best way? Have a great product. This is exactly how Bear Naked Granola grew their tiny business—by using all natural ingredients, they created a terrific tasting product (my mouth waters just thinking about it). As more people tried and loved their product, they told their friends and family, who bought a bag. When these new customers tried it, they loved it too, and told even more friends. Starbucks did something similar by creating a unique experience around a cup of coffee (yes, Starbucks is big business with big budgets today, but it wasn’t too long ago that it was a four-store chain with a new idea about how coffee should be served).

Of course, you can try things like contests, special offers, and PR events, but gimmicks don’t last long. If your product isn’t better than your competitor’s, or if you don’t offer a service or experience that is different in some way, you will always struggle to get people talking about your brand.

5. What are the most important things to remember about my brand? Always remember you are constantly building your brand, whether you do it consciously or not. The decision to hire (or not) a customer service person with bad grammar is more than a service decision, it’s a branding decision. Choosing to raise or lower prices isn’t just a question about margins, but about branding. How you keep your store, how you treat your customers, the products and services you offer—these are both business and branding decisions. You are always building your brand.

Now back to the question we asked at the beginning of our discussion: Is branding something you should worry about? Again, the answer is, “absolutely.” But it doesn’t require stacks of books or attending branding workshops. Instead, it takes thought, a little creativity, and consistency over time. By thinking about your business decisions as branding decisions, you take a more active approach to your brand. And that will help you attract new customers and stand out from your competition—which ultimately may mean finding real business success.

Do you have a small business branding success story? Tell us about it and we may feature you in a future edition of this newsletter. Email your story to Richard.oto@hp.com

Rob Marsh is the COO at Logoworks by HP and author of the Brand Story Blog.

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Are you Ashamed to Hand out Your Business Card?

By Jonathan Munk, Marketing Manager, Logoworks by HP

Have you ever come to the end of a business introduction, knowing you must produce a business card, and ashamedly hold out a flimsy, generic eyesore with your contact information? Or worse yet, you ask your just-introduced associate to jot down your phone number and email on a piece of scrap paper because you don’t have a business card? You may feebly attempt to excuse your lack of professional cards, but what impression does this leave?

As a business owner, you know the importance of making a good first impression, and you only have one chance to do it right. Even though your business card will play a small role in meeting a new potential customer, partner, supplier or employee, that role is an important one. Your business card is the only tangible item people walk away with after meeting you. The design, feel and layout of your card say a lot about the culture of your company, its organization and your level of professionalism. It also reveals to others how serious you are about your company. Did you invest in marketing materials or simply get free, generic business cards somewhere?

Let’s review a few keys to having a professional, influential business card.

1. Include your company logo
You might be surprised how many business cards come across my desk that don’t have a proper logo design on them. Many include the company name with no logo, while some simply exclude the company name altogether. When I receive a card like this, it’s an immediate red flag that the company may not be well-established, may lack marketing direction or that the business is some kind of slipshod production. Sure, we all have to start somewhere, but making a professional first impression with good business cards is not very expensive and is worth its weight in gold.

2. Say no to clipart or generic templates
How would it feel to hand out a business card only to have someone say, “Oh, does ‘so-and-so’ work for you? He has the same card as you.”, and you have to come up with some reason as to why you share the same style of business card as someone else. If you follow number one above you won’t run into this problem, but generally speaking, it’s a good idea to stay away from templates that don’t match the look and feel of your business.

Furthermore, un-customized clipart is an absolute no-no. It’s better to have a business card with a lot of white space than to use clipart, for a few reasons. First, most clipart won’t look very good with your logo. Second, it adds clutter, detracting from the primary role of your business card, which is simply to pass along your contact information. Third, clipart generally looks amateurish and unprofessional. You would never see an executive from a large company handing out cards with an illustrated stick figure. Why would you?

Professional, custom designed business cards are the most sure way to get a unique, great looking business card you won’t be ashamed to hand out (Shameless plug: Logoworks is having a special right now on business card design and printing. You can get started for just $99).

3. Don’t skimp on printing
No matter how great your business cards look, if you don’t get them printed the right way, on the right paper, and for the right price, you will probably be unhappy with the result. Find a printer that knows the business and have them provide some quotes with various printing processes, paper weights and materials. Printing business cards is generally very affordable. Just realize if you simply go to with the cheapest printing you can find, you may pay for it in the ink and paper quality down the road.

4. Be careful about going over the top
While impressive and fun to look at, over-the-top business cards may not as effective as traditional cards. Cards that stray too far from the mainstream could get thrown away quicker than a regular one. For example, if your card has an unorthodox shape or is printed on extremely thick paper, it might get tossed because people have no place to store it.

One man I met handed out a walnut with his website printed on the shell as his business card. He owned a printing company and the idea behind his business card was to show that he could print on anything. The ‘card’ was a great way to illustrate his business idea and it was very memorable, but the next time I needed a printer, I didn’t have a way to contact him. All I could remember was he was “the nut guy.” After all, there’s only so long you can keep a walnut sitting on your desk. It was interesting and fun, but completely unpractical.

You should also keep in mind that increased revenue you receive from having outlandish business card designs is often not worth the cost associated with the cards.

Handing out business cards should be an exciting opportunity, not one to be ashamed about. Take the time to do it right, and you will be surprised how much more confident you’ll feel handing them out and how much better they’ll be received.

Look at some outlandish business cards: DailyPoetics.Typepad.com

Logoworks Business card Blowout offer: $99 Design, $99 printing for business cards.

Jonathan writes Influentia, a blog on influence, marketing and small business.

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What Brand is That?

David Dresen, Director of Design, Logoworks by HP

A Brand. Just what is the big deal anyways? I’m just a small start up, with really no imaginary dreams of becoming the next monster clothing chain. I just want to have a nice little….blah, blah, blah.

Honestly, let’s be realistic, who doesn’t want to make as much money as possible? It doesn’t matter whether your starting a homemade candle company, or a new line of automobiles, the truth is we all become entrepreneurs to get away from “The Man” that has us boxed up in that 6’X 8’ cubicle. That is why we work, that is what drives this world, and that is the truth. Some people get lucky enough to actually work in a job they love (me included), and the rest of the world works because they have to. Most people who love their jobs wouldn’t do it for free! The cold hard facts of this world require us to work for money. There are great opportunities to provide service for others, but when it comes to our “jobs”, most of us prefer a paycheck; and the bigger the better.

So, you’ve broken away form the “cubicle”, and are starting your own business. I would like to talk to you about how you’re going to brand your company. The encyclopedia explains the meaning of a brand, far better than I can, and uses much more eloquent words;

[A brand includes a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the use of the product or service and through the influence of , design, and media commentary. A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to the product and serves to create associations and expectations around it. A brand often includes a logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, and sound, which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality.]

I want to cover a few key elements of this description.

No where in this description, did it say that a brand was the logo!! I want to make sure everyone understands this. Your logo is not your brand. It can be the start of one, and may be included in such branding, but by itself it’s not a brand. As stated above, the brand includes, or may include the logo, colors, symbols etc.

The phrase “design scheme” is what I want to focus on here. As you start to design your peripherals (e.g. business cards, website, stationery, brochure etc), it is vital to keep in mind your logo, which should already represent you, and use that logo design for inspiration or guidance in designing the rest of your products. You don’t even have to use the logo as the main part in the design. For example, you have a startup coffee house, and you need to design your coffee grounds packaging. Your logo incorporates a circle with an image of coffee beans and an old world farmhouse, with rows of coffee plants. So, this illustrative logo opens up a myriad of possibilities in designing your packaging. Have fun, use elements of the logo, or just run with the concept of “Old World”. The logo itself can be place discretely on the package, and your product if designed correctly it will represent and strengthen your brand.

“A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to the product and serves to create associations and expectations around it.” The catch here is this: an expectation isn’t good by default. That is up to you, your product, and your service. You can have the best logo in the world, and award winning design, but if your product is bad, or if your service is poor, it is not going to matter how well you brand yourself. People will always associate your brand with that bad product, and poor service.

The design of your peripherals is vital in establishing that strong brand. Everything associated with your company should say the same thing. Whether it is the use of fonts, colors, or design itself, your image should be repeated. The only way for a company to become branded is through visibility and repetition. I’m not just talking about seeing it either. You don’t need to have millions in financial backing to successfully market your product. Advertising is accomplished in many ways, and not all include paying for air time, or printed advertisements. Word of mouth can be extremely beneficial and effective in spreading your brand as well. Starbucks is a company that used almost no advertising, but had great design, and over a period of ten years developed such a strong brand that the company went from one shop to thousands.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use a marketing company. On the contrary, it is vital for you to seek out any professional help you can. Word of mouth alone will not be sufficient to establish yourself. Your design on everything from the business cards you hand out to the packaging of your products, and the hangtags on your shirts will say something about your company. Even the airtime you use on the radio should help strengthen your brand. Don’t underestimate the importance of seeking professional guidance in establishing a great brand. It can make all the difference in determining whether you’ll become the next Starbucks. As Howard Schultz would say;

A great brand raises the bar — it adds a greater sense of purpose to the experience, whether it’s the challenge to do your best in sports and fitness, or the affirmation that the cup of coffee you’re drinking really matters.” - Howard Schultz (CEO, Starbucks Corp.)

Related Topics: Branding, Design, Graphic Design, Small Business    No Comments