7 Branding Tips for Small Businesses
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Written by Renee C. Quinn B.S. Pennsylvania State University M.B.A. University of Phoenix Posted: January 12, 2010 @ 2:03 pm ReneeQuinn.com | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn 
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When people think of a “brand” they often think of the Nike Swoosh or the Classic Coca Cola bottle (pictured left, courtesy of The Coca Cola Company). But it takes time and money to build a brand to that level. Small businesses just getting started do not generally have the means to advertise as a way of building their brand? When the small business first starts out there is usually little to no funds in their “advertising budget.” What’s that right? But you don’t have to have a large budget or even any additional money allocated for advertising and brand building over and above what you already need to be spending for essential supplies. In fact, you can start establishing your brand identity during your business building phase using only the money necessary to get your business up off the ground.
What follows are seven rather simple and inexpensive steps to begin establishing your image and building your brand using nothing more than the money you would otherwise spend to get your business going!
Continue Reading @ ReneeQuinn.com
About the Author
Renee C. Quinn acquired a Masters of Business Administration with her course work focusing on e-Commerce and e-Business, with an emphasis on marketing via the World Wide Web. Her particular career focus to date has been on business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing. She writes on various business and social media topics for IPWatchdog.com. You can follow Renee on Twitter at IPWatchdog_Too. Renee is available to consult with individuals and businesses on how to set up and effectively use social media and social networking tools to establish a successful marketing campaign. You can contact Renee via e-mail.
Super article. My only comment is that because branding a small business is so important, the process must include input from a trademark attorney. Far too often small business folks do not seek advice on how to create their brand identity so that their trademark and trade name rights are enforceable or, worse yet, do not “clear the rights” to use their trademarks or trade name and then find themselves on the wrong end of an infringement claim.
Dan-
Very good point indeed. The plan was to go with this article from a business perspective and then follow up in the coming days with the legal take on the available protections and what needs to be done, both to obtain protection and steer clear of problems. In trademarks and basic corporate issues a pound of prevention is worth a ton of headache later!
Thanks for reading.
-Gene
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Good article, thouhg I’m not a fan of VistaPrint. OvernightPrints.com does a better job and is extremely competitive.
Since design is not my strong suit, I found that hiring a local web designer to do the “art” part of my web site and logo was well worth the money. http://www.marketsandpatents.com
Renee,
Great tips for small business owners. As I work with clients on their brand, one thing that is a critical first step is to have clarity around what your business is, who it serves and how you want it to be perceived in the marketplace. I frequently get business owners who ask my firm to put together a logo and they have no idea what there business is. Don’t waste your money on branding without clarity. The other point I would make is to make sure you have a viable business idea before you waste any money on branding it.
[...] When people think of a “brand” they often think of the Nike Swoosh or the Classic Coca Cola bottle (pictured left, courtesy of The Coca Cola Company). But it takes time and money to build a brand to that level…read more [...]
[...] When people think of a “brand” they often think of the Nike Swoosh or the Classic Coca Cola bottle (pictured left, courtesy of The Coca Cola Company). But it takes time and money to build a brand to that level. Small businesses just getting started do not generally have the means to …read more [...]
The tips you provide are sure to be of great use for any company with a limited budget. But if you have to save money, think about people who may help you for free. For instance, if you need a website design, think of your friends. Perhaps there is either a professional or an amateur who can help you to cope with this uneasy task. The same concerns creating a logo and business cards. If you know a designer, his help cannot be overestimated.
[...] Once you have created an account for your business, fill out your profile as completely as you can. This is your best advertisement and will help you start to establish your brand. Be sure and include your contact information along with your personal web site or blog URL. You can upload a professional or business casual head shot of yourself as your main profile photo in order to add to your professional image and put a personal touch on your page. If you wear a uniform all of the time, you may want to wear your uniform for your profile photograph. Remember you are your brand so you want to pay attention to all of the details that will help build your brand. [...]
[...] In Social Networking for Business Part III: LinkedIn Chapter 1 , I gave you the first 7 steps to using LinkedIn as a tool for growing your business. The first 7 steps focused on getting your LinkedIn account set up and making connections. Now that you have set up your LinkedIn profile, it is time to start using the tool available to you through this social network. In this Chapter I will cover steps 8-15 on how to continue to use LinkedIn to not only grow your business but to Start Building Your Brand. [...]
[...] online, it is time to used LinkedIn not only to continue to grow your business and to continue Building Your Brand but also to start increasing visibility, searchability and page ranking for your profile. So [...]
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[...] follow IPWatchdog.com and have read my articles, know that my favorite topics to write about are Brand Building, Marketing Strategies, Having a Web Presence and Social Networking. Recently I had the distinct [...]
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[...] Coffee and Del Valle products? I did not. Second, this tab allows companies to continue to Grow and Maintain Their Brand by showing all “sides” of what their companies have to offer. Finally, it serves the [...]