If you think only big corporate names need to think about things like brand names, think again. Your brand says a lot about you and your business, and that’s as true for a one person home- based operation as it is for a multinational conglomerate. In this article we look at how creating a strong brand for your business can help you set yourself apart from the pack and lay the right foundation for the future growth of your business.
WHAT IS A BRAND?
Your brand is more than just the logo on your letterhead and business cards or your business name. It is your corporate identity. An effective brand tells the world who you are, what you do and how you do it, while at the same time establishing your relevance to, and credibility with, your prospective customers.
Your brand is also something more ethereal. It is how your business is perceived by its customers. If your brand has a high perceived value, you enjoy many advantages over your competition, especially when it comes to pricing. Why do you think people are prepared to pay stupid money for items of clothing with the initials “CK” on them? Perceived value. Perceived value as a result of very effective brand promotion resulting in very high brand awareness.
Now, I’m not saying we all need to rush out and start creating brands that are going to be recognized the world over. Most of us simply don’t have the time or other resources necessary. What I am suggesting, however, is that it is possible for your brand to dominate your niche.
WHY DO I NEED TO CREATE MY OWN BRAND?
=> Differentiation
We touched on this in the previous section when we looked at what a brand is and how it can be used to increase the perceived value of your products and services. The main reason for creating your own brand is to differentiate yourself from your competition. New websites are a dime a dozen. So are home-based businesses. You need to constantly be looking for ways to set yourself apart from your competition. Your brand can do that for you.
=> More Effective, Efficient Marketing
Another good reason for creating your own brand is to make your sales force (even if that’s a sales force of one – you) more effective and efficient.
Imagine if you didn’t have to spend the first 50% of your time with a new prospect explaining who you are, what you do and how you do it. What if your brand had already communicated that for you? You can spend 100% of your time focusing on sales rather than educating your prospects about your business
Another benefit of branding is that the efforts you expend increasing your brand awareness through promoting and marketing your brand to your target market automatically transfers to your products and services. So, even when you’re advertising your brand, you’re indirectly also marketing your products and services.
HOW DO I CREATE MY OWN BRAND?
OK, so you’re convinced you need to create your own brand. Where on earth do you start?
We saw earlier that your brand needs to say who you are, what you do and how you do it. It needs to do all these things at the same time as establishing your relevance to, and building credibilty with, your prospective customers. Needless to say, it is absolutely essential, if you are to build your own brand, that *you yourself* have a firm grasp of who you are, what you do and how you do it. If not, you’re going to have the devil’s own time getting that message across to anyone else, let alone establishing your relevance and credibility.
=> Write A Mission Statement
So, let’s start by creating a mission statement. What is the mission of your business? Obviously you’re in business to make a profit. But making a profit is a byproduct of a successful business. Focus instead on how you choose to achieve that profit. What are your core values?
A good place to begin thinking about your mission is to put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Put yourself in their target market. Let’s say your business is web hosting. If you’re in the market for a web host, what things are important to you? Different people will be looking for different benefits but you can bet that they want their website to be accessible to site visitors so reliability will be high on their list. Price is also likely to be high on the list as is 24/7 technical support. What about add-on features such as unlimited email aliases, cgi support and what-not? These things will be highly important to some and less important to others. So focus on the benefits that are likely to be highly relevant to the majority of your target market. Let’s settle for our purposes on reliability, price and technical support.
Your mission statement might read something like this: “I strive to earn a fair return on my investment of time and money by providing affordable webhosting with guaranteed 99% uptime and 24/7 telephone technical support”. That’s a pretty general statement and if you decide to focus on a particular niche of the webhosting market, such as small business, you may want to more narrowly focus on that group in your mission statement.
Now that you’ve written your mission statement, you can begin thinking about creating a brand that reinforces and supports your mission. So, getting back to the fundamental questions of who you are, what you do and how you do it, you can now begin to think of your business in these terms. You’re a webhosting provider, you host websites of small businesses and you do that by offering cost-effective webhosting solutions, guaranteed 99% uptime and 24/7 telephone technical support.
When you create your brand, you need to keep the who, what and how firmly in mind but also use the brand to establish your relevance to your target market and build credibility with that market.
Let’s turn now to the nuts and bolts of creating your brand.
=> Describe What You Are Branding
List out your business’s key features and characteristics, your competitive advantages and anything else that sets you apart from your competition.
Using our webhosting example, you’ll focus primarily on the objectives from your mission statement namely, reliable, cost- effective webhosting solutions supported by 24/7 technical support.
=> Identify and Describe Your Target Market
Decide whether you want to target the entire webhosting community or only a segment of it such as small business websites. Describe your market.
=> List Names that Suggest the Key Elements from Your Mission Statement
The key elements from your mission statement were reliability, cost-effectiveness and customer service. List names that are suggestive of these elements. Let’s use Reliable Webhosting for our example. (I don’t claim to be a creative genius.)
Don’t limit yourself to real words, though. A coined name with no obvious meaning is a perfectly legitimate name provided it conveys something about your business. You will find coined names easier to trademark and secure domain names for too – a definite plus!
=> List Tag Lines that Reinforce Your Mission Statement
We’ll use: “Outstanding reliability and technical support at a price your small business can afford”. I know, I know. You can do much better, I’m sure.
HOW SHOULD I USE MY BRAND?
=> Create a Logo for Your Brand
Your logo is NOT your brand but your logo should allow your brand to be instantly recognized by those familiar with it. To this extent, your logo helps create and reinforce brand awareness.
The logo you create should be able to be used consistently in a variety of different media. It should be suitable for corporate letterhead and business cards, as well as for your website and corporate signage (if any). You do NOT want a confusing mishmash of logos and banners and heaven knows what else. Everything you produce needs to use the same, consistent style of logo so that, over time, your logo becomes synonymous with your brand. Instant recognition is what you’re going for here, so don’t dilute it by using several different logos for different purposes.
=> Consistent Usage of Company Name, Logo and Tag Line
Going back to our webhosting example, putting the brand name and tagline together, the physical manifestation of your brand will be:
RELIABLE WEBHOSTING Outstanding reliability and technical support at a price your small business can afford.
To establish brand awareness, this branding needs to be used consistently and frequently in everything your produce, whether that be letters to clients, business cards, brochures, quotations, invoices, advertising, promotion, on your website, on the front door of your principal place of business and on your products. And don’t forget to be consistent in your use of color schemes. These can be powerful brand reinforcers.
=> Marketing and Promotion of Your Brand
Once you’ve created your brand, you need to market and promote it, in addition to your products and services. This is how you establish your credibility and relevance to your target market. You can hopefully see why your brand needs to be suggestive of your mission statement. If, at the same time as you’re selling your products and services you also push your brand, your brand becomes synonymous with your products and services. And vice versa.
A properly descriptive brand and high brand awareness amongst your target market will allow you to more easily introduce a wider range of products and services when they’re developed without having to start by again selling who you are, what you do and how you do it first. Your brand has already presold YOU. Your job then is to sell your products and services.
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Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based Business Online … practical business ideas, opportunities and solutions for the work-from-home entrepreneur. http://www.ahbbo.com
To be honest, the answer depends on whom you ask. If you ask the branding experts, they will be up in arms if you dont nail down the name, feeling that branding should be the first order of business. But if you ask me, I am more of a content gal and feel that its better to know what you are offering and get that all worked out as your first priority. In my practice over the years, I find too many people get into perfection paralysis around their business name, their tagline, their website, and so on.
Id rather see you get started now, rather than wait for the perfect branding. As an example, my company started out as Self-Employed Success, then it moved on to The Ideal LIfe and next was Rainmaker Coach . That lead me to where I am now. The branding has evolved as my business and material has evolved, becoming more encompassing of everything I offer.
If you can come up with something thats good for now, that is what Id go with. Just know that it will evolve along with your whole marketing message over time. And that is totally acceptable and to be expected. Focus on coming up with your proprietary system and your content, which is how you will be earning your money.
Dont get me wrong, I do believe branding is important, just not at the expense of holding off on getting started. Spend some time with your branding, but after a while, decide on something and start using it. The more you work with your new business format and model, the more evident the name will be. And it will likely change and grow over time as the work does.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
Have you allowed branding perfectionism to keep you from getting started with your business? Heres my suggestion if this has happened to you. Work on your branding to come up with one to three names that you like.
Next, talk to people about them to help you narrow them down. Pay attention to see if there are any patterns in the feedback. Sometimes you can get as many opinions as the people you ask, which might not be that helpful. Other times a favorite name will emerge.
Either way, dont let too much time slip by before you select a name that works for now. Then get started building your business. Being of service is what its all about and you cant do that if your progress is hindered by worrying about your branding.
In this article, the author has explained various plumbing problems that can affect the functioning of your home plumbing system.
If you are purchasing a new house, it is vital for you to know the condition of home plumbing system to ensure you are making a right investment. The plumbing system is an essential aspect of any property. It not only balances the flow of water in and out of the property, but also completes your house. Without a fully functioning plumbing system, you may have to deal with numerous problems. Therefore, it is essential for you to arrange for an experienced plumber who will visit your property to assess the condition.
Regular care and maintenance of plumbing systems is necessary to keep them in the good condition. Below mentioned are several plumbing problems, which when not handled on time can interfere with the good health of your plumbing system.
• Leaking Pipes- If you are listening dripping sounds, then know you have leaking pipes. A dripping faucet or a pipe can waste a significant amount of water which will consequently increase your utility bills. You can check if you have leaky pipes. Choose a time when there is a no or little activity such early in the morning or late at night to check for leaky pipes.
• Low Water Pressure- If you notice less water pressure in your pipes, then there might be a problem in the sewer line. Low water pressure in your pipes indicates that your sewer pipes have corroded, cracked or frozen. You should immediately call in a skilled professional when you notice low water pressure supply in your pipes.
• Strange or rattling noises – If your pipes are making strange noises, then check the supply valves for leaks. The packing that seals the valve stem may be loose or broken which is making the rattling sound of the pipes.
• Running Toilet – If your toilet is running even after flushing, then you might require replacing the inner workings. The problem of running toilets arises when the flapper valve lets the water pass from the tank to the bowl. When it no longer fits properly, you may experience the problem of running toilets.
• Clogged Drains – Most of us do not pay attention to what we are passing down the drains, which results in clogged drains. In most of the cases, the plunger may do the job. But if it is not able to remove the clog entirely, call a skilled plumber in Los Gatos.
Those were several situations that call upon the need of an experienced and skilled plumber. Most of the DIY lovers make a mistake of solving plumbing issues on their own and end up in troubles. If you are not knowledgeable about the process, you should not try performing repairs on your own and call a pro.
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We dread them, we hate dealing with them, yet, we call have had them at
some point a problem with your plumbing. It is such a hassle when you
have something that goes wrong with your plumbing in your home. However,
if you are able to quickly diagnose the problem, it can get resolved
quicker. If you are able to call your plumber in an emergency or
non-emergency situation it will save both you and him a lot of time. He
can come prepared with the parts and tools that he needs to get the job
done right the first time and not have to come back on several
occasions. There are so many different things that can go wrong with
your plumbing situation and it is important to be aware of what these
different issues are.
The water in your sink will not flow Assuming that you paid your water
bill, a faucet that will not run is usually a serious plumbing problem.
This usually means that there is a problem with the pipes under or
outside of the house. If it is a freezing cold day, there is a
possibility of a frozen pipe. A frozen pipe can burst, so you should
call a plumber out to the home immediately. This can cause serious
damage to the home if not treated by a professional quickly. This can be
prevented by running a pencil size stream of water at the faucet
furthest from the water source of the house when the outside
temperatures are below freezing level.
Toilet will not flush This can either be a very serious problem or a
relatively easy problem. It really just depends on the situation. There
may be a broken pipe so that water is not getting to your toilet. If you
suspect there is a pipe which has broken, turn your water at the source
off immediately. If not, you can have a lot of water damage in your
home. This can be as simple as a broken part in your toilet not allowing
the mechanism work properly. IN this case, you should call out a
plumber since you do not know how serious the problem is.
Sink or bathtub will not drain This is probably the most common
plumbing problems housed by plumbers. However, this can be taken care of
by the homeowner in some, but not all cases. There are several
different pipe clearing products on the market. Before calling a plumber
out, which can be very expensive, try to use one of these products. The
instructions are clearly marked on the bottle. If this does not work
for your problem, then it would be necessary to hire a plumber as the
problem is probably pretty in depth.
You never want to try to do any sort of plumbing project that you are
unsure about or do not feel comfortable doing. In most cases, it is best
to call a plumber out to the home for assistance.
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Dallas
plumbing professionals will make sure you have sink and
toilet that work well if you can find a good one. Find the right pro for
you by seeing: http://www.angieslist.com/.
Nothing is more annoying than taking a shower and having the water end up at your ankles. At this point you likely realize that something needs to be done with your drains. There are at-home solutions that you can learn for the quick fixes, but often those only last for a short time, and you will need to hire a plumbing company to come out. Whether it is a drain clog, or something more serious like a major leak, you will want to find a company that will be there when you need them and offer fast service and reliable employees on your budget.When you have a drain clog, there are few things you can do. You can go to the internet and search for at-home solutions where you might find a few options such as baking soda and vinegar. This is a good option for small clogs, but when the clog goes deeper, you will need something stronger. Baking soda and vinegar are a less caustic way to clear a drain than buying chemicals to put down the drain. If you try this or one of the chemical alternatives and still have a clogged drain then it is probably time to call a plumbing company.As you choose a plumbing company, consider their service. If you have never used a plumber before you might not know what ones offer fast service and which ones do not. You can ask people that you know who might have ideas in this area. You can also search online and find out from reviews what others have to say about the service of a company.The reliability of the employees at a company is also something to take into consideration. You can find this out from the same places where you find out about the service. Also, many companies are members of organizations so that they have more credibility. These organizations are honest about the companies that they represent and will tell you on their website if there have been issues with a particular company.By calling the plumbing company, you should be able to find out what their hourly rate is, and if they offer to have someone come out and do a free estimate of your issue, that might be a benefit as well. You will want to make sure that the hourly rate is fair when compared with other companies, and you will also want to be sure that they only charge you for the time they were working on the plumbing in your home. It will be difficult to compare things like the cost of parts before you actually have a company come out, but what you can do when it comes to parts is find out from the company right away what part is needed, if any, and how much they charge for the part. Then before they perhaps come back to install a new part, tell them to hold off and you can do some research into other companies and find out what they would charge for that part.
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If you need a good source for indianapolis drain cleaninghttp://www.benjaminfranklinplumbingindy.com.
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Do you need a plumber? If you do, you need to make sure that you are hiring the right one. After all, plumbing work can be quite expensive. Before you hire a plumbing company, make sure you are following these steps. First, when you are getting quotes, compare the hourly rates of the various plumbers you are hiring. This is the best way to compare prices, because what one plumber quotes may be for a shorter time estimate than another. When comparing hourly rates, remember that it is not always best to hire the lowest one. You want someone who will not only do the job for an affordable price, but also well. Try to balance a low hourly rate with someone that is backed by a strong reputation.As you compare rates, remember that plumbing companies may calculate their rates differently. For instance, some start counting the minute they get in the car to start their drive to your property. Others start counting when they arrive on the job. When asking about the rate, find out how it is calculated as well as what it is. Next, before you call the plumbing company, make sure the job is not something you can fix on your own. Do you have a clogged drain? A plunger or drain snake can let you do the job on your own in many cases. Do you have a leak? Make sure it is not one you can fix before you call. You can save a lot by keeping these calls to a minimum. When you do call, ask the plumbing company if they will allow you to buy your own materials or fixtures. Often, the plumber will make a little extra money by selling you these items as well as his or her service. While this eliminates hassle and time spent at the hardware store, it also can raise your costs. If you can bargain shop, you might be able to save money.Before the plumbing contractor arrives, make sure everything is ready. Clear out the area where he will need to work, because you do not want to be paying his time when what he is doing is cleaning out your cupboards. Also, make the most of his time in your home. Check all of your pipes and drains to make sure there are not other issues you should be addressing. Finally, ask for agreements in writing from the plumbing company, if any agreements are made. Word-of-mouth can mean little when working with contractors. If the plumber quoted one price and charges another, there is little you can do about it other than pay the bill. After all, the work has now been completed and you must pay up.Remember, plumbing is a service worth paying for, because it is vital to your health and comfort. With that said, you can save a little bit of money if you prepare properly for the visit of the contractor. This will help ensure that you are spending your money where it should be spent – for the services you need!
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Hiring a Scottsbluff Plumbing Company is a good idea if you are having issues at your home or office. It is important to get plumbing problems fixed the right way. Look no further than: http://www.gvpman.com/.
On the other hand, when a drainage pipe has burst, the water that gurgles out is more often not clear. Exposing to it can cause the persons to come in contact with many illnesses as well. Therefore, the best way to handle the situation is to call the Emergency Plumbers London.Since they are experienced in handling such emergencies, the matter will be in reliable hand. They will immediately confine the area and make sure that relevant residents are safe. Then they will attend the matter meticulously and effectively within the shortest time possible. If other places have sustained damages due to the emergency that they are called for, they will repair them as well. Mostly, anyEmergency Plumbers London has will appear in the scene within two hours after the first call was made to handle the task. If the distance is very near, they may attend within minutes. If the caller has selected a reputable Emergency Plumbers London Company, it takes the matter seriously and will be on the site immediately.However, the charges of Plumbing London companies may vary. Some may charge for transportation and some may not. Likewise every task other than the immediate emergency that they are asked for to attend, will also be charged. The maximum time period they need to appear at the location may also vary from one Emergency Plumbers London to the next. More often, it depends on how many branches the parent company has in the area. Plumbing in London covers a vast area. Without some branches, a company in Plumbing in London cannot attend every emergency that has occurred in such a vast area.In an emergency, no one can infer which company they should call for, unless they have knowledge in Plumbing in London. Every locality, everyone has neighbours who had such emergencies and asked for a plumbing company to repair it. They can tell whether the service they received from the relevant company is up to standard.Many Boiler Repairs London Companies and Emergency Plumbers London Companies maintain websites. They display all available services as well as their charges. Many customer reviews are also available. Reading the articles on them provide customers with not only information regarding the company but also the scope of Plumbing in London as well. Once selected, their contact numbers should be recorded to be accessed very fast for an emergency.
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Emergency Plumbers London, Plumbers London Companies, Emergency Plumbers, Plumbers London, London Companies
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jhon Walker is a online marketer and Writing a Review Article for Emergency Plumbers London, Plumbing in London and Boiler Repairs London Boiler Repairs London.
While you intend to mend your plumbing issues as quickly as possible, it’s suggested to search out the correct plumbers with the correct skills and knowledge in the job. You need to do your analysis before bearing in mind you might need these services anytime in your life as long as you own a home. You do not need to wait too long before deciding on calling your emergency plumber Dallas.
Emergency plumbing things might erupt at the least expected time whether you reside in Dallas or away. In such things, Emergency plumbers should be your 1st choice to call for help in obtaining to eliminate the emergency problems. When the water is rising or one thing is stuck, calling an emergency plumber is the most suitable choice. Whereas you will think you’ll handle whatever comes your way, there are times when you just want the instant help of an expert. There are literally many reasons why this can be your most suitable choice. This emergency plumber Dallas has got immense experience in the work. the more you try to solve this severe issue by your own without any professional guidance, the worst your situation will turn into and this way you might lose a lot of energy as well as money if the problem becomes very severe.
Things You Must Know About Emergency Plumber
Sometimes several people try and fix some plumbing issues simply to realize that we don’t have the required skills and knowledge to try to it perfectly. We, therefore, end up calling this Emergency skilled plumbers Dallas to mend the issues so as to make the matter really easy very soon. Experience plays a very crucial role if your problem is complicated; make sure these experienced plumbers are going to provide you services whenever you want. Only and only hire the one that is good and knowledgeable.
As an inexperienced person when it involves plumbing, it may take you many hours before deciding what has to be done. This might lead to even worse things. Remember, the longer you’ll take, the more serious the situation could get. It is, therefore, advisable to call up for help as shortly as possible. Hiring knowledgeable plumber would help solve any plumbing drawback on the spot. This may prevent a lot of your time as well while trying to find out a way to fix a particular plumbing problem.
There are many types of plumbing difficulties at your place, would you take the thought of buying the required equipment to mend a onetime plumbing problem? In fact no! Hire plumber with the correct material, therefore, prove to be cheaper than doing it on your own will since you’ll be required to buy the required tools so as to mend the problem.
While making an attempt to repair plumbing issues on your own, chances are very high that you just would possibly find yourself with the worst situation just because you understand really little what you’re supposed to do when fixing the issues. In such things, you finish up causing additional damage than fixing. With the proper knowledge in fixing varied issues, these professionals perceive how to fix all plumbing issues with success while not causing additional harm which will end up costing far more.
Reputable Emergency plumbing firms aren’t only authorized, but they’re most likely insured. You’ve got basic right to understand that your plumber is highly licensed and you’ll be able to do a background check with the other support plumber would happily reply to you with no matter queries you’ve got. This can offer you the peace of mind that you just won’t compromise your security and that of your family by creating that crucial call in the middle of the night for your sudden emergencies. As security now these days are a prime concern to almost every person.
What All Quality Emergency Plumbers Possess?
They should always be punctual and on time, as this emergency plumber in Dallas promises to provide 24/7 services to the customers it mean whenever the problem arises they need to be there as soon as possible. When you hire any plumbing company make sure they have a record of always being on time and so that you are sure about the services they offer to the customers in urgency.
You may not be able to know the plumber just by looking at them. Ask them queries concerning their work and if possible get contacts details of their previous clients to grasp the kind of work they did. This will tell you if indeed they’re the professionals they say they are. just because they promise doesn’t mean you will rely on their words, so go find out with the references or feedback and only then make a very sensible decision.
When an emergency arises, definitely it might not be a normal time or daytime; it can be at night as well, so you need to make sure that whoever you call during the emergency must be able to come to any point of time. They should be ready to serve you whenever you are worried or whenever you are stuck. Make sure to built contact with those plumbers who provide you right services at the right time
Trust is the most important thing when dealing with any service provider. The more you rely on their services the better you build contact with them. But first, you need to ensure that are these emergency plumbers Dallas really trustworthy. It simply means that is they actually providing you round the clock services, are they licensed? Do they have good background history with respect to their services? Only then you can consider these services as a complete better one.
A great knowledge and education are extremely vital when you are hiring a pipe fitter. A decent plumber will clarify the difficulty, answer any inquiry you have got and even provide you with tips that may assist you presently. With this having knowledgeable plumber by your side can continuously lead you to the correct door. Despite what issues you’re facing you’ll be able to simply build it easier with the professionals operating with you and also guide you through any issue you possess
Are you always updating content in your website yet it seems not to appear on Yahoo, Google, Bing or any other search engine? When this happens, chances are none of your potential clients know that you exist
Perhaps you are designing or developing your website but you are afraid of being invisible. In search engine optimization, your visibility is assumed to be directly proportional to your sales, profits and brand awareness.
What happens when you lack the expertise and time to ensure that you gain good ranking? Won’t it make sense for you to spend some cash on Tampa search engine optimization consulting? Well, if you are determined to use consultancy services, there are certain things that must come to play. This ensures you do not invest not to gain. Hence, the following guideline should help you to know what to ask the consultant you will hire;
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If you run a hotel, restaurant, bar, take-away service, or any business which involves food preparation, then employing the services of a reputable food consultant will almost certainly improve the bottom line of your business.A food consultant will provide an objective perspective on every aspect of your service operation, including personnel, menu design, purchasing, strategy and management.Usually someone who works specializes in this kind of role will have worked as an executive chef, or systems expert within a food environment.A food consultant will also be able to train your staff to optimize resources and improve profitability within the business. They can act as an internal partner and advise on every facet of your business including brand identity, brand awareness, positioning, operations, systems and front-of-house sales.If you are setting up a new food business, they will also be able to help with the design of your retail space and associated merchandising. In short, you will gain an objective, expert perspective across all areas of your business.Even the most well-run food establishments can do with a little extra help from time to time.Where hiring a food consultant can really pay dividends is in the area of personnel. Your staff are potentially the biggest asset your business has, seeing as they will interact with customers and one another frequently whilst delivering your food service. Your trusted advisor will train your staff to maximise their potential and make the most of their skills and resources. The consultant will also be able to provide advice on the best way of incentivising your employees and thus promoting loyalty and trust.Its well known that the food business is subject to a high turnover rate when it comes to staffing. If your food business consistently attracts a high staff turnover then its costing you more money that it should. Constantly hiring new staff every couple of months or so can be a real pain in that you have to keep training up new people. Its also a real moral-drainer on the rest of your employees.If you value your staff (and every business ought to), you should aim to do everything in your power to retain them. By offering them first rate ongoing training and incentives for reaching sales targets, you will encourage good moral, strong team camaraderie and high levels of personal motivation. And that can only be good for business.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Jenkinson is a UK marketing consultant and works and writes articles for Devlin Consulting a UK food consultant.
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to customers, day and night 24*7 from our skilled and devoted plumbing
staff.
Finding a trustworthy plumber is not an easy job and that is why this article is going to be helpful for you. This article will tell you things you need to consider before you hire a plumber in Bristol and how you can find a reliable plumber. This way you can easily conduct a background check of the plumber or the plumbing service that you are considering to hire.
It is very much evident that most of the people do not check the credentials before they hire a tradesperson. Well when you are hiring a plumber, you need to do a proper background check of the plumber or the plumbing company because it’s not easy to find skilled professionals within the plumbing realm. So, how do you find a trustworthy plumber in Bristol? This article will tell you everything you need to know about it.
Personal recommendations
When you are looking for a local plumber or 24/7 emergency plumber in Bristol then the first thing you can do is ask your friends, family, relatives, and colleagues for recommendations. Even though technological advancement is there, still word of mouth works the best in these situations. It is still considered to be one of the best ways of finding a tradesperson.
Ask other tradespersons
If you already know an emergency electrician and now you need a 24/7 emergency plumber, then you can ask your electrician for the recommendation. As in this field, tradespersons tend to know each other, you will get a good recommendation or a good contact from them. They are also knowledgeable about the local service providers so, if you need a local plumber, you can ask them for contact details too.
Trading Standards
The approval of trading standards is also a very important factor to consider when you are looking for a reliable 24/7 emergency plumber or a local plumber. Many local authorities tend to run “trusted trading schemes” for helping the population to find electricians, plumbers, roofers, and other tradespersons. You can visit them and find a trustworthy and reputable plumber from there.
Trust-Mark
Trust-Mark is backed up by the government of the UK and this is a very good place to find reputable local plumbers and 24/7 emergency plumbers. You can simply visit them; enter your postcode which will make a list of local tradesperson appear. You can be totally assured that these plumbers have been checked for their skills, their work quality, and their expertise.
Trust-Mark also means that the companies have signed the code of practice which assures you about the tradespersons that are associated with the company.
Trade ratings
There are various sites where you can check the trade ratings before you hire a plumber. There are government-supported schemes and then there are private websites that might help you. The ratings can be biased in some cases but they can give you a brief outline about the company that will be of your help in choosing the best 24/7 emergency plumber.
These are the factors that you have to consider before hiring plumbers in Bristol. People do not usually consider these factors and choose someone in a hurry which should not be done and you should always do a background check before you hire a plumber. There are various websites that are available and when you search for local plumbers you will get plenty of options, so, do the background check first and then you can opt for it!
Whether small or large, every business has a brand they aim to represent to their customers around the world. In projecting a perfect impression of your business to your customers, branding is essential. One of the tools of branding is logo design. A logo design is usually referred to as the Face of a business. Whether a small-medium enterprise or a large company intending to connect to your customers and reach more potential customers, branding should be a vital part of your business.
Whether small or large, every business has a brand they aim to represent to their customers around the world. In projecting a perfect impression of your business to your customers, branding is essential. One of the tools of branding is logo design. A logo design is usually referred to as the Face of a business. Whether a small-medium enterprise or a large company intending to connect to your customers and reach more potential customers, branding should be a vital part of your business.
When projected deliberately through curated and creative expertise, it would boost the awareness and fulfill several goals of your business. Whether you want to start a new business in Gold Coast or refresh and give a fresh outlook to an old one, getting suitable and effective branding and logo designs should top your to-do list.
WHAT IS BRANDING AND LOGO DESIGN?
Branding is not limited to the colorful graphic designs that grab the attention of customers. It is beyond having a recognizable and unique logo that portrays your business. It’s an intentional, deliberate, and conscious strategy that revolves around the essence of your business. The branding of your business is a representation of your business’s identity. It’s a conscious investment to connect to your customers.
A logo design is a tool of branding. It’s a form of visual communication. An entrepreneur who intends to expand the reach of his business and take a step in achieving his business goal should consider getting a Logo Design curated by a professional graphic designer. It’s a unique visual creation that portrays your business. It can be used for T-shirts, bags, websites, business card signage, etc.
Its consistent and intentional awareness of customers creates an impact of recognition, which is a significant step in converting potential customers to clients.
There is quite an impressive number of Branding and Logo designs on Gold Coast. A typical logo design package includes a unique based logo design, initially made by a professional, and other valuable and beneficial options.
What You Should Know About Effective Branding and Logo Design
Brand Identity:
Effective and successful Branding and Logo Designs and Solutions often include a detailed process of creation. It’s an expression of what your brand stands for, and this is achieved through a collaboration between you and the designers.
Designers who understand the meanings of colors, shapes, and fonts will be the best ones to create effective branding and logo designs. Through merging your business ideas with their knowledge of graphic designing, the results will be effective and perfect.
Convert Sales and Creates Connection:
A simple color, shape, or font of your logo design can convert many sales for your business and help you achieve your business goals.
Like humans, we have an identity, and we cherish connections. It influences our actions. That’s how Branding and Logo Design works. Having a recognizable and straightforward identity emits a link to your customers.
Conclusion
Branding and Logo Designs have proven several times to be an effective and fast way of achieving business goals in marketing, and till today, it continues to prove so. If you wish to achieve significant business success in any industry today, you must learn about the concept of branding and how to take advantage of it. Thankfully, this article has discussed some essential tips to help you.
For more information give the SEO Web logistics team a call on (07) 5641 0224.
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For those people interested in exactly how art translates Branding In Dubai. I would recommend having a look at the Zaman website. In their words Zaman moves beyond the usual approach to brand development. It focuses on creating imaginative situations, spaces and scenarios. Whether working on branding projects with our clients or developing our own, we are contributing to the evolution of the Middle Easts cultural milieu. As Dubai Lime is a site dedicated to art and music in the UAE we found this website to be an ideal discussion point for those artists struggling to understand exactly how their work can be translated to a commercial offering.It really is a very good resource for people interested in how art is deployed within a commercial setting, with Branding Case Studies, Links to the Modern East Blog the website provides great case studies on the branding of some of the following companies:AlBastakiya is one of Dubais most treasured historical sites. Overlooking the Dubai Creek, sea-stone walls combine with traditional wind towers, narrow alleyways, leafy courtyards and distinctive architecture to capture the traditional essence of Arabian culture. View the Dubai branding case study.As a major UAE family business group, Al Naboodah faces a constant challenge to maintain its competitive position across a diverse range of construction, manufacturing, commercial and investment activities. With the re-branding programme, identity development and launch spectacle initiated by Zaman, the group set in motion a new phase in its history. View the Dubai branding case study.When prestigious property group, Sheth, from India, first approached Zaman, it had two major buildings under development in Dubai. It was about to launch Iris Blue, a residential tower with stunning 270° water views, and Iris Bay, a half-moon shaped, energy-saving commercial landmark. Recognizing that Sheth was entering a highly competitive real estate market as a relative unknown, Zaman sought to align the company with its products through the creation of a strong, recognizable brand identity. View the Dubai branding case study.
Online Polls and Questionnaires are a great way to gather feedback from your customers – be it for reviewing any product/service or the success of your latest marketing strategy. However, you can take it one step further by customizing the questionnaire with your business logo, brand theme, and other similar things to enforce your brand image upon the respondents. Believe it or not but it can play a crucial role in improving your business. This article by PollDeep explains the importance of online questionnaire branding for your business.
Online questionnaire branding is no doubt one of the most wonderful ways to increase the overall value of your already successful survey. Every time you create a poll, you don’t come up with questions only for the sake of making them. In fact, more than the questions themselves that you include using your chosen poll maker, there is so much more to your online questionnaire than you can imagine.
Online questionnaire branding plays a crucial role in improving your business and taking it to the next level of success. However, for you to understand what is entailed with branding your online questionnaires, you should first determine the real reason why you want to run your survey before anything else. This way you can gain better guidance in your branding efforts.
There are many ways on how online questionnaire branding will be able to help your business. Aside from being a wonderful tool for improving your brand, there is so much more to branded surveys than what you may realize.
Branding as a Form of Advertisement
Through making sure that your brand or logo is visible in every part of your survey, you are actually allowing your company enjoy a free form of advertisement. There is no doubt that visual advertisement is among the strongest and most effective tools for marketing, and is something that is studied on a regular basis by psychologists. It is observed that when a person is presented with two products of similar nature, the tendency for him or her is to choose the one that he or she have had visual contact with each and every time. This means that with the help of online questionnaire branding, you will be able to incorporate this crucial tool for public relations straight away without much effort on your part.
Brand Consultation
Also a very crucial factor that offers an added value with the use of online questionnaire branding is the fact that you will be able to ask your respondents how exactly they feel about your logo or your brand as a whole. This is a great means of redesigning the visual areas of your business. It is especially true when you use this during your internal surveys, like employee engagement situations. An engaged employee is a more productive employee, and a good way for improving this is through providing staff ownership of the specific brand they are representing and that is representing them.
It is actually extremely easy to go with online questionnaire branding provided that you are using the most appropriate online survey tools. On top of that, its provides infinite added value and benefits. So much to the point that you might end up losing out on the powerful tools when you add brand to your online questionnaires, and turn it into a complete waste.
With this rather simple action, this can amazingly increase the number and quality of response you will get, while simultaneously causing an indirect increase to your revenues. If you consider the tricky financial times of today, this is one benefit you can never overlook.
Was talking to a neighbor and fellow NWMer last year about marketing ideas….while we were both cleaning up our yards after Hurricane Isabel. He shared some pretty neat tips I’d call “community branding”.
Here’s just one “semi” inovative idea for you to chew on:
Participating in community charity activities. Just that simple….but with lot’s of potential.
For example….. how about your group running in a local 5K for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation…..all wearing T-shirts with your group/business name on it. Carry a sign across the finish line with “The Yada Yada company running for a cure” (or whatever….be more creative than that obviously….LOL). Talk to media covering the event. Network with fellow participants. Be involved.
How about your group volunteering to help at functions for your local YMCA ….or local library….or rec center….or PTA…or…. you get the idea.
Or…very timely for us….go out as a group and help clean up your neighborhood after something like Isabel.
Have something like a sign, banner, T-shirts that say who you are (special T-shirts only for something like Isabel clean-up). But don’t pass out brochures and company material. Just network and create visibility. Maybe have a few business cards in your pocket and hand them only to those who ask. You could also have brochures etc. in your car maybe.
Just DON’T make it look like a big marketing gimic. The public will see right through it. Instead create an identity & branding within your community. This establishes a sense of acceptance and curiosity you can build upon by following up with contacts made during these events.
You might even make the local news as a community interest story. Nice publicity.
We have a couple groups who apply this concept very well in our annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life events. You could too.
Remember to adhere to any “rules” of the specific event sponsor (if an event) and your particular company.
It does not usually mean that just because you have your own online business,
are already obsolete. Your cards are still very crucial especially when
it comes to creating your own business brand with the aid of the
internet. And of course, businesses that operate in the old market today
still need the power of these cards. This is because not everyone trust
the internet when networking or transacting business, so its still
wise to maintain the good old business card.
Business recognition in the market
This relates to the long term and repeat clients and customers that
are the backbone of your success in the business industry, which is
something that you can develop with the aid of business branding.
Business branding actually refers to the different things that describe
you and especially your business. This can include everything that
contributes to the image of your business such as the logo of your
business, the color that you use, your own style, your business
reputation, what your business have or is know for and much more.
Your business cards must be a consistent part of your branding. They
must look the same as your business website or brochure when it comes to
the colors and the image that used. Moreover, your cards must always
convey similar message that you preset on your business website. Aside
from that, they should also foster a good and professional image for you
and especially for your business.
In reality, utilizing the business cards can aid you and your
business in increasing the number of clients and customers that visit
your business web site. In other words, they will increase traffic to
your site. After all, tot all people especially prospect clients and
customers will find your website via search engine and keywords. One
good way that you can attract new clients and customers is with the aid
of referrals. Always have your cards to send out in gatherings such as
trade shows and business events; have then sent with the purchases and
orders; and send them out via other means to effectively get your
website details and information into the hands of potential clients and
customers.
Your very own marketing tools
Your marketing or advertising tools and materials and also all the
elements that work together in developing your business brand includes
your business website, your business storefront and the signage, and all
the flyers, brochures, postcards
that you send out. All other online aspects or elements such as Google
advertisements, the email that you send out, the newsletters that you
commonly make, and many more are also very crucial business marketing
tools and material kits.
They will work together with your cards in creating and enhancing
your business brand in the market, and as technology continuously
evolves, new and high reliable materials are being invented. But in any
case, your business card will remain an indispensable part of your
business. When done well, creating good branding for your business will
be a walk in the part. So, work on your cards today to give your
business a professional and credible identity in the market. Dont
forget to find a good printer that will assist you in creating the best
business card for your business.
Branding is one of those words thats bandied about often in business and marketing circles these days. Branding is more than just advertising. Its a blend of public relations and private relationships that create the image that your company and your product present to the outside world.
Logos are an important part of branding, but not the whole of it. Your business or organisation name is a part of branding but again, there’s more to it than just merely your name. promotional products that they choose and use. The bright Virgin red with the flowing V logo is one of the most recognizable brands in the UK but you’ll never find it printed on anything shoddy or replicated in a poor manner. You’ll often find it printed on youthful, fun things, though because that’s the image that Virgin wishes to present to the world.
When you start choosing promotional items that carry your name, it’s important to start with a clear concept of what your company or organisation is and who your desired target customers are. These days, when printing technology makes it possible to put your logo on just about anything, it’s important to decide which anything carries your image the furthest and most effectively. And before you start thinking that we’re talking about avoiding cheap promotional items here, keep in mind that nearly any promotional item can be turned into a positive message for your company or organisation if you think it through carefully.
The most important decisions about your promotional items go beyond what should we give away? You should also be considering colour, slogan and quality of the items that you choose. Promotional mugs can give the message that you’re cheap or that you’re clever and innovative, depending on the style, colour and delivery method that you choose. Promotional umbrellas with your company logo can be flashy or very traditional and staid, depending on the specific umbrella, colours and style of imprint that you give them.
There are literally hundreds of promotional items and advertising gifts to choose from and when you add in colour choices, styles, materials and quality, the array of gifts that your company could choose to promote and market their image is staggering. Working with an experienced supplier of promotional items can give you the benefit of their knowledge and insight in designing the promotional items that will build your company’s image.
Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and jump right in to your DIY plumbing project? There are lots of projects or problems that you can handle by yourself, but there are times when you need the services of a skilled plumber. Sometimes those little things that can go wrong with a home’s plumbing turn out to be bigger than expected; here are some reasons you might want to call a professional.LeaksThe most common household plumbing catastrophe is leakage. Sometimes you can see the leak yourself, but at other times you only see evidence of it in the form of mysterious puddles of water. Since leaks can come from virtually anything – pipes, drains, fixtures or water tanks – it’s always a good idea to have plumbers give it their expert eye. They can find out exactly where the leak is coming from and what needs to be done to clear it up. You can also pick their brains for advice on how to keep it from leaking in the future.ClogsFor some clogs you don’t need a plumber – like when somebody’s used too much toilet paper in the toilet. Other clogs are down deeper in the pipes and sometimes even as far as the drainpipe. This means that it’s outside of your house and underground somewhere. This definitely takes the expertise of a professional. Plumbers can do deep cleaning on the pipes to keep it from getting clogged so easily in the future. Some clogging is actually caused by the pipes themselves and not a blockage; it might be that the pipes were not installed properly and they can’t handle the water load.InstallationInstalling your own faucets, sinks and other plumbing is something that you can do if you’ve got some handyman skills. However, for a regular Joe (or Jane!), it could be a headache. For example, once you’ve removed the old faucet to install a new one, you might find a whole chaos of loose nuts, bolts and other little pieces that need immediate attention before the new faucet can go in. To an experienced plumber, this is just another walk in the park. They come prepared with all the tools you need, and they’re used to seeing things like this. It’s best to give the professionals a call unless you’re up to maybe spending your weekend on an afternoon project.UpgradingFinally, if you’re interested in upgrading or looking into custom plumbing options, the plumber is your best friend. Upgrading your bathtub or sinks can make them look as good as new and save you the hefty price of getting them replaced. It takes an expert’s touch to do it really well, but you can at least help out and say that you did it yourself. Ultimately, it’s all up to you. Some folks like to do their own DIY projects no matter how complicated they get. They see it as a “challenge.” Others give up after a while and dial up the plumber. And there’s nothing wrong with that! You can always hire them to do the job and watch over their shoulder so you learn a few things in the process.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Looking for a great Chicagoland plumber? You can find listings online if you look around. To find one company to address any plumbing issues you may have, please visit http://www.priorityresponseplumbing.com/
Plumbing is one of those things that many people think that they can handle, when it is actually something that takes a lot of experience to be able to do without a lot of trouble. Here are a few reasons that you should hire plumbing companies in Deerfield to do work for you instead of trying to do it yourself.
Plumbing can be incredibly expensive to fix, with so many different parts that you have to keep track of, with everything fitting together in a very precise manner. Do one thing wrong and you could really mess up the whole system, making those slef-repairs more expensive than professional repairs.
– It can take a lot of time if you go out and try to get all of the plumbing supplies that you need, with literally hundreds of different pipes and fixtures to have to choose from. instead of spending hours upon hours at the hardware store, digging through the supplies, a plumber will know what you need, have it on hand (or be able to get it quickly), and can get things done.
– Let’s take a look at what you’re going to be working with here – water. If you aren’t careful, it can make a huge mess. Pipes can break very easily if you don’t know what you’re doing. If your pipes break, you end up with leaks. Those leaks can stain and do lots of water damage – in the worst cases, your house can get flooded. Using a plumber can help prevent that.
– There are so many different tools that plumbers use, and some of the work that they do is difficult and dangerous. You shouldn’t put yourself into a dangerous situation, when plumbing companies in Deerfield can take care of it. Have you ever heard the phrase “leave the work to the professionals?” The pros know how to stay safe when they’re doing their plumbing work.
– Efficiency is at the core of what a plumber does. They are going to do what they can to make sure that they get your work done quickly and without a lot of hassle. You don’t have the skills to do that, and so the job that took you 3 hours may end up taking them 1. Time is money!
So, instead of trying to pick up the wrench and do the repairs, consider calling plumbing companies in Deerfield. They can come and help you with what needs to be done. Any extra cost will be well worth it.
SEO is important to keep your workflow bountiful. Owner operators that want to expand there businesses can foster growth by automating their SEO from a reputable source.
As an owner operator you are going to want to spend your time making money cherry picking your calls not writing articles, finding links, social posting, and updating directory listings.
SEO can be described as votes back to your website from other sources which hold their own weight online in regards to reputability.
The oldest and purest form of SEO are directory listings. Having current and optimized listings will benefit your rankings. Plumbersbyzipcode.com is the 1st ever Multi- Channel Hyper-focused Plumbing Directory get your free listing today.
Our recent new client that is a one man band owner operator plumbs in a low competition area and has great returns at a low monthly cost.
4 months in...
We have this plumber set on our local directory package 298$ setup fee and 150$ a month. Paired with Google My Business listing we showed 25 calls, 800+ views & 1.22k actions.
Best part is not everyone searches on Google so our client almost had double the calls Google showed.
Our client is happy and is gaining valuable time and resources to help him move forward. He can literally throttle his own results by posting on his companies social profiles. You can notice the sharp spike in the chart we were told he wanted more work
, you should not try performing repairs on your own and call a pro.
Aug 18 2021
Branding Your Business
Branding Your Business
© 2002 Elena Fawkner
If you think only big corporate names need to think about things
like brand names, think again. Your brand says a lot about you
and your business, and that’s as true for a one person home-
based operation as it is for a multinational conglomerate. In this
article we look at how creating a strong brand for your business
can help you set yourself apart from the pack and lay the right
foundation for the future growth of your business.
WHAT IS A BRAND?
Your brand is more than just the logo on your letterhead and
business cards or your business name. It is your corporate
identity. An effective brand tells the world who you are, what
you do and how you do it, while at the same time establishing
your relevance to, and credibility with, your prospective customers.
Your brand is also something more ethereal. It is how your
business is perceived by its customers. If your brand has a high
perceived value, you enjoy many advantages over your
competition, especially when it comes to pricing. Why do you
think people are prepared to pay stupid money for items of clothing
with the initials “CK” on them? Perceived value. Perceived value
as a result of very effective brand promotion resulting in very high
brand awareness.
Now, I’m not saying we all need to rush out and start creating
brands that are going to be recognized the world over. Most of us
simply don’t have the time or other resources necessary. What I
am suggesting, however, is that it is possible for your brand to
dominate your niche.
WHY DO I NEED TO CREATE MY OWN BRAND?
=> Differentiation
We touched on this in the previous section when we looked at
what a brand is and how it can be used to increase the perceived
value of your products and services. The main reason for creating
your own brand is to differentiate yourself from your competition.
New websites are a dime a dozen. So are home-based
businesses. You need to constantly be looking for ways to set
yourself apart from your competition. Your brand can do that for
you.
=> More Effective, Efficient Marketing
Another good reason for creating your own brand is to make your
sales force (even if that’s a sales force of one – you) more effective
and efficient.
Imagine if you didn’t have to spend the first 50% of your time with
a new prospect explaining who you are, what you do and how you
do it. What if your brand had already communicated that for you?
You can spend 100% of your time focusing on sales rather than
educating your prospects about your business
Another benefit of branding is that the efforts you expend increasing
your brand awareness through promoting and marketing your brand
to your target market automatically transfers to your products and
services. So, even when you’re advertising your brand, you’re
indirectly also marketing your products and services.
HOW DO I CREATE MY OWN BRAND?
OK, so you’re convinced you need to create your own brand.
Where on earth do you start?
We saw earlier that your brand needs to say who you are, what
you do and how you do it. It needs to do all these things at the
same time as establishing your relevance to, and building credibilty
with, your prospective customers. Needless to say, it is absolutely
essential, if you are to build your own brand, that *you yourself*
have a firm grasp of who you are, what you do and how you do it.
If not, you’re going to have the devil’s own time getting that
message across to anyone else, let alone establishing your
relevance and credibility.
=> Write A Mission Statement
So, let’s start by creating a mission statement. What is the
mission of your business? Obviously you’re in business to make
a profit. But making a profit is a byproduct of a successful
business. Focus instead on how you choose to achieve that profit.
What are your core values?
A good place to begin thinking about your mission is to put
yourself in the shoes of your customers. Put yourself in their
target market. Let’s say your business is web hosting. If you’re
in the market for a web host, what things are important to you?
Different people will be looking for different benefits but you can
bet that they want their website to be accessible to site visitors so
reliability will be high on their list. Price is also likely to be high
on the list as is 24/7 technical support. What about add-on features
such as unlimited email aliases, cgi support and what-not?
These things will be highly important to some and less important
to others. So focus on the benefits that are likely to be highly
relevant to the majority of your target market. Let’s settle for our
purposes on reliability, price and technical support.
Your mission statement might read something like this: “I strive
to earn a fair return on my investment of time and money by
providing affordable webhosting with guaranteed 99% uptime and
24/7 telephone technical support”. That’s a pretty general
statement and if you decide to focus on a particular niche of the
webhosting market, such as small business, you may want to
more narrowly focus on that group in your mission statement.
Now that you’ve written your mission statement, you can begin
thinking about creating a brand that reinforces and supports your
mission. So, getting back to the fundamental questions of who
you are, what you do and how you do it, you can now begin to
think of your business in these terms. You’re a webhosting
provider, you host websites of small businesses and you do that
by offering cost-effective webhosting solutions, guaranteed 99%
uptime and 24/7 telephone technical support.
When you create your brand, you need to keep the who, what
and how firmly in mind but also use the brand to establish your
relevance to your target market and build credibility with that
market.
Let’s turn now to the nuts and bolts of creating your brand.
=> Describe What You Are Branding
List out your business’s key features and characteristics, your
competitive advantages and anything else that sets you apart
from your competition.
Using our webhosting example, you’ll focus primarily on the
objectives from your mission statement namely, reliable, cost-
effective webhosting solutions supported by 24/7 technical
support.
=> Identify and Describe Your Target Market
Decide whether you want to target the entire webhosting
community or only a segment of it such as small business
websites. Describe your market.
=> List Names that Suggest the Key Elements from Your
Mission Statement
The key elements from your mission statement were reliability,
cost-effectiveness and customer service. List names that are
suggestive of these elements. Let’s use Reliable Webhosting
for our example. (I don’t claim to be a creative genius.)
Don’t limit yourself to real words, though. A coined name with no
obvious meaning is a perfectly legitimate name provided it conveys
something about your business. You will find coined names easier
to trademark and secure domain names for too – a definite plus!
=> List Tag Lines that Reinforce Your Mission Statement
We’ll use: “Outstanding reliability and technical support at a
price your small business can afford”. I know, I know. You can
do much better, I’m sure.
HOW SHOULD I USE MY BRAND?
=> Create a Logo for Your Brand
Your logo is NOT your brand but your logo should allow your
brand to be instantly recognized by those familiar with it. To
this extent, your logo helps create and reinforce brand
awareness.
The logo you create should be able to be used consistently in a
variety of different media. It should be suitable for corporate
letterhead and business cards, as well as for your website and
corporate signage (if any). You do NOT want a confusing
mishmash of logos and banners and heaven knows what else.
Everything you produce needs to use the same, consistent
style of logo so that, over time, your logo becomes synonymous
with your brand. Instant recognition is what you’re going for here,
so don’t dilute it by using several different logos for different
purposes.
=> Consistent Usage of Company Name, Logo and Tag Line
Going back to our webhosting example, putting the brand name
and tagline together, the physical manifestation of your brand
will be:
RELIABLE WEBHOSTING
Outstanding reliability and technical support at a price
your small business can afford.
To establish brand awareness, this branding needs to be used
consistently and frequently in everything your produce, whether
that be letters to clients, business cards, brochures, quotations,
invoices, advertising, promotion, on your website, on the front
door of your principal place of business and on your products.
And don’t forget to be consistent in your use of color schemes.
These can be powerful brand reinforcers.
=> Marketing and Promotion of Your Brand
Once you’ve created your brand, you need to market and
promote it, in addition to your products and services. This is
how you establish your credibility and relevance to your target
market. You can hopefully see why your brand needs to be
suggestive of your mission statement. If, at the same time as
you’re selling your products and services you also push your
brand, your brand becomes synonymous with your products
and services. And vice versa.
A properly descriptive brand and high brand awareness amongst
your target market will allow you to more easily introduce a wider
range of products and services when they’re developed without
having to start by again selling who you are, what you do and
how you do it first. Your brand has already presold YOU. Your
job then is to sell your products and services.
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To be honest, the answer depends on whom you ask. If you ask the branding experts, they will be up in arms if you dont nail down the name, feeling that branding should be the first order of business. But if you ask me, I am more of a content gal and feel that its better to know what you are offering and get that all worked out as your first priority. In my practice over the years, I find too many people get into perfection paralysis around their business name, their tagline, their website, and so on.
Id rather see you get started now, rather than wait for the perfect branding. As an example, my company started out as Self-Employed Success, then it moved on to The Ideal LIfe and next was Rainmaker Coach . That lead me to where I am now. The branding has evolved as my business and material has evolved, becoming more encompassing of everything I offer.
If you can come up with something thats good for now, that is what Id go with. Just know that it will evolve along with your whole marketing message over time. And that is totally acceptable and to be expected. Focus on coming up with your proprietary system and your content, which is how you will be earning your money.
Dont get me wrong, I do believe branding is important, just not at the expense of holding off on getting started. Spend some time with your branding, but after a while, decide on something and start using it. The more you work with your new business format and model, the more evident the name will be. And it will likely change and grow over time as the work does.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
Have you allowed branding perfectionism to keep you from getting started with your business? Heres my suggestion if this has happened to you. Work on your branding to come up with one to three names that you like.
Next, talk to people about them to help you narrow them down. Pay attention to see if there are any patterns in the feedback. Sometimes you can get as many opinions as the people you ask, which might not be that helpful. Other times a favorite name will emerge.
Either way
, dont let too much time slip by before you select a name that works for now. Then get started building your business. Being of service is what its all about and you cant do that if your progress is hindered by worrying about your branding.
By PBZC.Name-Devloper • Blog