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I
just wore out my Internet surfboard looking for some great news about personal
branding and business branding to share with you this week for your business.
After two hours of splashing through the cyber waves, I can report there is an
ocean of Internet information posted
about branding ideas and tips. I can also report my brain is waterlogged with information. Blogs
and more blogs about branding. Website after website about creating and maintaining your brand.
Ironically, the more branding websites I looked at, the less distinctive they
appeared and eventually they half baked into, gasp, white bread. The
sites and blogs I looked at did not provide me with
much support for the message I wanted to write about today. That could be because
my brand for this newsletter titled Getting To the Point has to be the "keep
it simple brand". As
you navigate in this complex world of business, your brand can
be described as how others perceive you and your products and services.
Right or wrong, perception is reality. The perceived reality of you and your company
image is significant for your success. I confess, I used to think brands and branding
was reserved for Pepsi, Apple and Marlboro. I've
changed my thinking because the competitive marketplace we deal in today in small
business, too, calls for brand recognition and loyalty. Your
company: hardware store, accounting practice, computer sales, bakery or auto repair
shop, has a brand. You may still have the default brand of your trade, white bread,
or you may have clearly defined your business to stand out like a
hearty Italian bread with oregano parmesan topping. The point is, we all
have a company and personal brand whether we admit it or not. It's
our image to our customers. As
the historical white bread favorite, Wonder Bread, is on the endangered loaves
list, you may want to consider the following points in building up your brand
image to something more than plain vanilla:
- Who are you?
- What is your product?
- Why is it so special?
- What makes you better
than your competition?
- How can you demonstrate
its (your) trustworthiness?
Study
other brands. Other includes people, not just products. What makes them so special?
Why do you like them over the competition? Work by yourself and write down what
makes your own brand special. Get a capable group of people to work with you and
write down what they think makes your brand special. Don't rush it, but put together a statement of what your
brand is all about. Share it with your employees and your customers
and your vendors. Ask them: is this what we offer or do we need to work smarter
at creating that reality? Start
working on polishing your brand this week. Follow the tips above and keep it simple.
Lace up the Nikes and "Just Do It". I
help small business owners define their brands. Brand development is included
as part of the eight key strategies for more profit in less time in small business.
Would you like to know more? Click here.
doug@douglasemerson.com | 
ks
for reading. Please forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might enjoy
it. The subscriber list continues to grow. Thanks for your efforts. 
