June 6th, 2009 by admin

You wouldn't skip letterhead when sending out a sales letter - Or would you?

How many emails do you send each day? If you are anything like me, you probably send hundreds of emails for every one print letter. Most businesses use letterhead for their print correspondence but miss out on extending their branding to virtual communications.

Don't ignore the benefits of e-stationary:

1.Consistency – Branding your business is all about perceived image – e-stationary can help maintain a consistent "identity" across all platforms – letterhead, Website, e-stationary, etc.

June 6th, 2009 by admin

One of the best ways to build your
organization's brand identity is to customize your documents, reports,
presentations and proposals.Here
are six ways you can customize your reports and presentations to build
brand identity.

June 6th, 2009 by admin

Many businesses suffer from a serious case of
multiple personality disorder. They have one "face" on their business
cards, a second "face" on their storefront, and various others on the
documents they generate. Building a brand identity is simply
a matter of choosing a single "face" for your business and presenting
that face to your customers as part of every exchange. brand identity
can also be thought of as your company's personality in the community.

June 6th, 2009 by admin

Just what is a name worth to a new company? It is really all that important? And why not use the employee suggestion box and simply give the winner a free lunch or a day off? (Hey… sometimes it works!)

In fact, a lot of time and research has gone into defining the exact monetary value a good brand name delivers to the bottom line. And while some academicians claim they have actually derived that number (a 7 percent or greater pricing premium and over 35 percent greater market capitalization), the benefits actually go way beyond the balance sheet.

June 6th, 2009 by admin

Your brand is about more than just your business name or logo design, an effective brand tells potential customers what you do and who you are, it is how you are perceived by customers - brands are in the minds of customers and no where else.

Effective branding will give you the edge over your competitors, although most small business owners don't have millions of pounds at their disposal for expensive worldwide branding campaigns, they do have many methods are their disposal to establish a brand and in turn benefit from the perceived 'value' of that brand.

June 6th, 2009 by admin

Company branding is one of the most important components of your marketing plan, particularly when you are making an effort to establish your company's position in the marketplace. Identity, differentiation, and reputation are all part of the company branding package. How people perceive your company largely relates to how effective you brand is and how it is portrayed, recognized, respected and remembered in the community both with existing and potential customers. A brand is so much more than a name or a logo.

June 5th, 2009 by admin

In an overcrowded marketplace, if you're not standing out, then you're invisible. Establishing a brand is absolutely critical to long term, sustainable business growth – especially in service oriented businesses. The single biggest motivator in buying is not data, nor is it facts, it's emotional response. People buy when they feel comfortable, when they feel they can trust you.

… when the process feels natural and reassuring, and when they come to the feeling that buying will make them feel good.

June 5th, 2009 by admin

This article will provide brief overview about the concept, advantages and use of effective branding to create brand awareness among consumers.

There is no disagreement that effective branding through 'use of a name, term, symbol or design, or a combination of these' (Quester et al, 2001) can create brand awareness and recognition in the quickest manner. Companies use different kinds of 'Brand Name', that is, a word, letter or a group of words such as AOL, Intel Pentium III etc to project their companies. Sometimes such words, symbols or marks are legally registered and copy righted to a single company known as trademarks ( for product oriented companies) and service marks ( for service offering companies) (Perreault & McCarthy, 2000).

June 5th, 2009 by admin

brand identity is the combined effect of visual elements in your marketing materials. A basic brand identity kit consists of a logo, business card, letterhead, and branded envelope. This basic set of materials can be extended to include a Website, brochure, folder, flyer, or any other professionally designed pieces.

A successful brand identity is built around the following 9 key characteristics:

• Unique in "look and feel" and message about your business. Make sure that your business's graphics stand out from and cannot be confused with those of the competition, and that the ways you talk and write about your business are uniquely yours as well.

June 5th, 2009 by admin

So perhaps these aren't the best economic times. Business is off and you're feeling a bit frantic. You wonder if you should slash prices across the board, make new offers, lay off staff, or just hibernate until next spring. First of all, realize you are not alone. A great number of business owners nationwide are facing these same questions and challenges. But what to do? <P>
My advice would be to get clear. <P>
"Get clear?" you ask incredulously. "That's it?" <P>
Yes. Get really, really clear. <P>
It's at these times of duress that we tend to get reactive. It's like the old saying about the politician, who having lost his objective, redoubles his efforts. If we are not clear, and if we've lost our sense of direction, how does going faster help? What typically happens is that we take on the wrong type of work, from the wrong type of clients, all at a deep discount, stay busy for the sake of busy work, make little to no profit and go nowhere. Not much of a plan eh? <P>
What if you took slower times in business as an opportunity to get focused? Here's another way to look at it. If you were a lumber jack and your axe blade had become dull, you could either decide to keep swinging harder, or you could take time out to sharpen your axe. For many business owners this seems threatening. They feel they don't have time to sharpen their axe, they have to pay the bills, make calls, stay busy. But in the end they swing with a dull axe and get nowhere, working harder and harder with less and less to show for it. And they also get exhausted. Sound familiar? <P>
On the other hand, what if you took time to hone your message. Perhaps you have a confusing business name that communicates one thing, a tag line that doesn't match, an outdated Web site, three versions of your logo, a blog that sits idle and a newsletter that's still on the "to do" list. You've been so busy the past few years reacting to business, you haven't had the time or the need to keep your brand message clear, concise and compelling. In fact, it's gotten down right fuzzy. Now is the perfect time to go through a brand audit… a review of just where you are now in the market, and where you want to be. Does your current image, message, and product offerings all line up? Are they speaking with one voice? Or are you pushing quality products here, low prices there, touting your service extraordinaire, and introducing a baffling array of new ideas and goods in hopes that something, anything, will "stick." <P>
Here's one simple test. Can you communicate your basic brand message in a matter of three to four words? <P>
What if you took one day out of your schedule to simply relax and observe. Don't try to figure things out, or reason, or solve, or react, - just observe what's going on. Don't think… feel. A walk in nature is a great place for this type of exercise. Smell the earth, watch the leaves, hear the sound of water. Then ask yourself, "Why am I in business?" What is your real motivation? Does it reflect your vision, passion and direction? If you walked into this business today, and it wasn't yours, how would you feel about it? Does it convey a sense of purpose, mission and direction? What seems to fit and what doesn't belong? Now might be the time to streamline and unify your business, your passion and your message into one cohesive brand. A brand that stands for something singular. And if that were so, what would that one thing be? Can you get it down to three words? One word? <P>
You can take time to get clear. Or blindly redouble your efforts. <P>
You can take time to sharpen your axe. Or just keep swinging a dull one harder. <P>
When it comes to moving forward, clarity can be a real confidence booster. Your decisions will be then based on insight, and will energize you. You'll recognize what builds your message and avoid what scatters it. You'll act with focus and purpose. And in times like these, that's not just smart… it's brilliant. <P>