When we speak of branding most of the time people try to relate
it to big business house, however, the fact is that every
business needs to establish their brand in order to survive the
competition. This is nothing new; experts and management gurus
had been preaching the same sermon for years now but what they
have not told is why you need to brand your small business? How
is branding going to help you to establish your business? How
can you establish your brand without spending a fortune on it?
You might be having a very small business but would you like
your client to perceive your business as a small time
entrepreneurial effort? Definitely not, and your business cards,
letterheads and other marketing collaterals does just that. They
create an impression to your clients that you are an established
business house of considerable strength and not just a mom-n-pop
shop.
While you have read till this much, you might have started to
plan to get a few home printed business cards or visit the
website where you saw the preformatted business cards being sold
for peanuts. Beware! The quality of your business card is an
indication of the status of your business and your clients are
intelligent enough to understand the difference between a
standard designed perforated business card and a professionally
designed business card printed on good quality card stock.
Most of us, including you, would prefer to consider the
stability of a company before making a purchase decision. Once
you have established your brand with a professionally designed
logo, business card and other marketing efforts it becomes much
easier for you to build your credibility among the customers.
Getting a professionally designed custom logo is one of the
very important elements of branding a business. A logo is not
just a symbol or a piece of graphics; it is actually your
corporate identity. A properly designed logo can leave long
lasting impression on your clients and will never let your
business slip out of their minds. It also makes your business
easily recognizable. Just think, wherever you see the Golden M
of McDonald’s do you really need to think twice, what company is
that referring to? A good logo should ideally exude the nature
and attitude of the business.
Once you have got a logo for yourself it becomes easier for you
to establish your brand. You can use that logo in your business
cards, letterheads and other accessories. Don’t you think it is
going to make a difference if the pack that you use to deliver
your products to your customer has the logo of your company on
it? And if you are using a reusable pack, your customer might
just use the same pack to pass on some other goods to one of his
friends- what happens then? Yes! Your logo gets noticed by one
other person, you add one more name to the list of your
potential customers. You are on your way to establish your own
brand.
Similarly with business cards, as they get passed on from one
person to the other, more and more people knows about your
business and the potential customer base increases.
Having a business card or professionally designed logo also
shows your commitment towards your business.
A short, easy to remember punch line is another useful tool for
branding. Getting a tag line printed on your business cards or
your business stationery makes it easier for people to
understand the nature of your business. Ideally, your tag line
should not only say about what you do but also speak about your
USP.
Having said all that, the ultimate question that most of the
small business people would have is, how much does it cost to
get all these things done? I’d say, “not much”. Money is always
a problem for most of the small businesses (that’s why they are
small, otherwise most of us would like to open a Microsoft and
be as rich as Bill Gates) but if you know where to look for, you
really don’t need to spend a fortune to get a professionally
designed logo or a business card. There are loads of websites
that offer them really cheap and some even allow you to decide
the price that you want to pay. (Check out this twin sites,
http://www.mycorporatelogo.com and
http://www.mycorporateidentity.com ).
So, if you think you are tired of being a “small business” and
its time to grow up, take the first step; establish your brand!
it to big business house, however, the fact is that every
business needs to establish their brand in order to survive the
competition. This is nothing new; experts and management gurus
had been preaching the same sermon for years now but what they
have not told is why you need to brand your small business? How
is branding going to help you to establish your business? How
can you establish your brand without spending a fortune on it?
You might be having a very small business but would you like
your client to perceive your business as a small time
entrepreneurial effort? Definitely not, and your business cards,
letterheads and other marketing collaterals does just that. They
create an impression to your clients that you are an established
business house of considerable strength and not just a mom-n-pop
shop.
While you have read till this much, you might have started to
plan to get a few home printed business cards or visit the
website where you saw the preformatted business cards being sold
for peanuts. Beware! The quality of your business card is an
indication of the status of your business and your clients are
intelligent enough to understand the difference between a
standard designed perforated business card and a professionally
designed business card printed on good quality card stock.
Most of us, including you, would prefer to consider the
stability of a company before making a purchase decision. Once
you have established your brand with a professionally designed
logo, business card and other marketing efforts it becomes much
easier for you to build your credibility among the customers.
Getting a professionally designed custom logo is one of the
very important elements of branding a business. A logo is not
just a symbol or a piece of graphics; it is actually your
corporate identity. A properly designed logo can leave long
lasting impression on your clients and will never let your
business slip out of their minds. It also makes your business
easily recognizable. Just think, wherever you see the Golden M
of McDonald’s do you really need to think twice, what company is
that referring to? A good logo should ideally exude the nature
and attitude of the business.
Once you have got a logo for yourself it becomes easier for you
to establish your brand. You can use that logo in your business
cards, letterheads and other accessories. Don’t you think it is
going to make a difference if the pack that you use to deliver
your products to your customer has the logo of your company on
it? And if you are using a reusable pack, your customer might
just use the same pack to pass on some other goods to one of his
friends- what happens then? Yes! Your logo gets noticed by one
other person, you add one more name to the list of your
potential customers. You are on your way to establish your own
brand.
Similarly with business cards, as they get passed on from one
person to the other, more and more people knows about your
business and the potential customer base increases.
Having a business card or professionally designed logo also
shows your commitment towards your business.
A short, easy to remember punch line is another useful tool for
branding. Getting a tag line printed on your business cards or
your business stationery makes it easier for people to
understand the nature of your business. Ideally, your tag line
should not only say about what you do but also speak about your
USP.
Having said all that, the ultimate question that most of the
small business people would have is, how much does it cost to
get all these things done? I’d say, “not much”. Money is always
a problem for most of the small businesses (that’s why they are
small, otherwise most of us would like to open a Microsoft and
be as rich as Bill Gates) but if you know where to look for, you
really don’t need to spend a fortune to get a professionally
designed logo or a business card. There are loads of websites
that offer them really cheap and some even allow you to decide
the price that you want to pay. (Check out this twin sites,
http://www.mycorporatelogo.com and
http://www.mycorporateidentity.com ).
So, if you think you are tired of being a “small business” and
its time to grow up, take the first step; establish your brand!
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