Branding vs Marketing – what really counts?
Both, actually. I don’t know what you expected as an answer here but there you have it.
Face it, the whole world is brand conscious. If you think that your business will grow as just a nice guy who sells good products, you’re wrong. Irrespective of you being the driving force, your business needs to start collecting points as an entity, with a face and attitude of its own. These are called brand attributes. Your clients or customers will, at some stage, start separating the small business owner from the business. If the brand was not being built all along, what will they have to hold on to? Building the brand through your marketing as you grow your business will pay off at the finish line.
This document is about marketing tips for growing a small business, which means that sooner or later you will have to hire people. People do not work for you but work for your business, which in turn is a company. Imagine if Microsoft was called Bill’s Computer Software? What would happen now that he has resigned? You need to start thinking carefully about the end product (your business that is). You have to have a goal of where you’re taking it and what you would like it to look like when complete. Do not just get into business for paying bills and surviving the month, build something sustainable. Its hard work building a business, you have to make it worth something at the finish line. People do not buy people, but buy businesses, even easy if they are brands. So, if you were just thinking of your business as yourself, rearrange your thought processes as there’s a lot more work to be done here. The great thing about this is that you do not work on the brand in isolation, but integrate it into your marketing.
A couple of pointers to help you start working on your brand:
Face it, the whole world is brand conscious. If you think that your business will grow as just a nice guy who sells good products, you’re wrong. Irrespective of you being the driving force, your business needs to start collecting points as an entity, with a face and attitude of its own. These are called brand attributes. Your clients or customers will, at some stage, start separating the small business owner from the business. If the brand was not being built all along, what will they have to hold on to? Building the brand through your marketing as you grow your business will pay off at the finish line.
This document is about marketing tips for growing a small business, which means that sooner or later you will have to hire people. People do not work for you but work for your business, which in turn is a company. Imagine if Microsoft was called Bill’s Computer Software? What would happen now that he has resigned? You need to start thinking carefully about the end product (your business that is). You have to have a goal of where you’re taking it and what you would like it to look like when complete. Do not just get into business for paying bills and surviving the month, build something sustainable. Its hard work building a business, you have to make it worth something at the finish line. People do not buy people, but buy businesses, even easy if they are brands. So, if you were just thinking of your business as yourself, rearrange your thought processes as there’s a lot more work to be done here. The great thing about this is that you do not work on the brand in isolation, but integrate it into your marketing.
A couple of pointers to help you start working on your brand:
- Do I have a proper logo (face for your company)
- Do I have a promise (slogan/ payoff line)
- Is my logo on my marketing material
- Can people recognize a benefit from my business
- What are my branding elements (uniforms, car magnets, business cards, etc)
Big or small company, branding is key. When doing your branding, image is everything. Big brand companies spend millions a year working on their branding, that is why we remember them. Would you not like your company to be remembered for something? Above and beyond knowing about your company, as a potential client, I need to buy into your dream, and dreams look good. Without a solid uninterrupted branding message, you are at the mercy of your employees and ex-clients to sell your dream. The question one should ask is; do they really understand what business I’m in?
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