Building a Brand that Breaks Through the Noise

Diva Toolbox
Maggie Anderson
Maggie Anderson

Branding is a way to boost your visibility and help your small business marketing efforts produce more results. As a small business marketing consultant I've noticed that entrepreneurs often hurt themselves by going too big or too small in their efforts to create a strong brand. Branding is not an action -- it's a process. It's not a big transformation you budget time and money for "when business picks up next year" but strength that builds gradually. Regular and consistent steps that build credibility, appreciation and trust for your company, your products, your services is what builds a strong brand. This article from David Brier at Fast Company has some insights about branding that are thought provoking. I picked a few favorites -- find all nine by following the link below. Looking for new marketing strategies for a small business or professional practise? Pick one of these and use it as a lens to look at your brand -- what is one step you can take next week to strengthen it?

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Every business owner and CEO has the right to a superior brand. One that's meaningful. Powerful. Long-lasting. Inspiring. And effective. Here is our 9-step program to building a brand that cuts through the noise:

  • We know there are thousands of ways to solve any problem and that the only valuable solutions are the effective ones. Doing something ineffective in half the time--or "more efficiently" or "more economically"--isn't progress, but is instead bad business.

  • Social media isn't a brand strategy. Social media is a channel. While it's important for a brand to develop something to say, it's more important to create something that will be heard.

  • Consumers and clients have a first moment when they discover a brand. It's this defining moment that establishes expectation and perceived value. Delivering on that value will determine whether your company thrives or merely stumbles along.

  • Brands that use clichés to promote their brand end up promoting their category, not their brand.

  • Growth and brand dominance is created by having the highest brand value, not the lowest price tag. One can always sell something by offering the lowest price. But this does not create loyalty to your brand. Never did and never will. It only creates "loyalty" to that price point. As soon as your customer is offered a better price, he or she will jump ship, leaving you like a scorned lover in the middle of the night.

This article was written by Maggie Anderson. To get more great advice from Diva Toolbox Media Diva Maggie Anderson, visit her website at: maggieanderson.com