Is branding important? Do you know what it is? Don't feel strange if you don't know. Many new business people have very little understanding of branding their business.
By definition, a brand is a "a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service "
You know what the Nike logo looks like. And you know when you see a Coca-Cola or a McDonald's restaurant. Those entities are branded into our minds. We can't shake loose from them.
If you have a product that is widely known you have brand recognition.
Obviously, not everyone can be a superstar. The Toyota symbol is also a brand but you may not know what it looks like until you actually buy a Toyota car.
Do you know what the Wells Fargo bank logo looks like? I do because we have an account there, but, again, you probably would not recognize it if you don't do business with Wells Fargo.Many people on the Internet try to brand themselves with a picture, an avatar, or something I see more of every day, a caracature of themselves. Some will combine a logo or caracature with a nick name, like Alice Seba does. Alice is known as the Internet Marketing Sweetie. Her Twitter name is @imsweetie.
Zna, a fitness guru, brands herself with the spelling of her name and also with the name of her corporation, SmartBodies, Inc. and her domain name, FastestFatBurn.com. Zna's Twitter name is @ZnaTrainer. Obviously Zna appreciates the value of branding.
So, you can successfully brand yourself alone, especially on the Internet. But if you are going to brand yourself with your name alone, as many do - myself included, you better be sure you don't want to sell your branded website in the future.
A careful management of a brand can create value. Businesses can brand themselves locally by advertising with their company logo in the newspaper, on the TV and many other places in the local area.
I think the time you spend finding a good brand for your business is time very well spent. You will profit greatly if you succeed and the brand itself may help you succeed.
Photo credit: John McDermott
Greg Cryns
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