by Jennifer Smith | Jan 15, 2015 | Blog, Business, Marketing |
Discover the 7 Steps for Success in Branding Your Business
1. What is Brand Creation?
What does Branding Your Business mean? Branding or Brand Creation is perhaps one of the most important elements you need with any business. Branding is usually demonstrated in the form of a logo, symbol, wording, image or other type of medium which is used to identify who the business is. For example, a typical logo for a Pizza Shop might be an image of a Pizza with the words Joe’s Pizza above it. This tells the consumer that the business belongs to Joe and it is a Pizza Shop. Pretty simple example, but I am sure you get the picture. Essentially, the main point here is that it isn’t just big business that needs a brand; every business should have one. Having a brand doesn’t always mean a logo, your brand could be just words. A brand is what makes a business memorable to the customer, an identifier which allows them to quickly recognize and remember who you are.
Essentially, brand creation is all about YOU, your personality…it differentiates you and your business by telling a consumer who you are. Brand recognition is one of the quickest ways to build a following and create customer loyalty.
2. Why Is A Brand So Important?
Creating a brand or logo for your business is essential to tell consumers who you are but it isn’t enough! Yes, consumers will quickly start to recognize your brand or logo but you also need to have the goods to back it up. For example, great customer service, follow up, ability to produce and deliver your goods. Without all of these elements, you may potential damage your brand and reputation and by doing so, quickly erode any following you might have built up. You will also risk consumer confidence in your product and once that has gone, it is very difficult to rebuild. Consumers by nature are driven by emotional response and providing the services and/or products you provide is consistent and meeting their requirements, your brand will remain strong and continue to grow.
3. How Do I Get A Brand?
Before you race out and find a logo to brand your business with, there are several things you need to consider first.
For example:
– What is the product or service you are trying to market?
– Do you know who your target market is?
– Do you know the estimated age of your audience?
– Are you marketing to males, females or both?
– Are you aware of what your audience is interested in?
– Do you know where your audience sources your potential product or service now?
– Do you know how much money they make?
– Are you planning on promoting your business to Corporate, Small Business and/or Mums and Dads?
Without these basic elements answered, it will be very difficult to determine the type of brand you need to promote your business. Understanding the type of audience you intend to market to is crucial. Once your questions have been answered, you will be provided with the relevant material you need to establish the framework for your brand. Only then, can you decide what you want to do with your branding.
4. How Will Your Brand Be Used?
The next important component to contemplate is “HOW” and “WHERE” you want your brand to be used. Branding your business is great, but in order to justify the type of marketing you need to promote your business and decide what type of brand you want, you will need to decide WHERE your business is going and HOW the brand will be used.
WHERE
Consider what services you’re planning to use to promote your business. For example, do you want to do a Full Marketing Campaign, Social Media Marketing, Offline Advertising, Online Advertising, Flyers, TV, Radio etc.
HOW
In what capacity will your brand be used in your business? Will it be used electronically on an internet website, mobile website, social media sites and forums and/or as a hardcopy for business cards, documentation, letterhead, contracts, signage, pens etc.
Taking all of the above into account may take days, you need to be vigilant with your brand and make sure that your business is well covered from every angle. A good rule of thumb is to consider carefully the brand you want to use and then sit on it for a while and really think it through. Be sure you have chosen exactly what you want because once you release it to the public, it is not only costly to change but difficult. Remember, a brand is your identity and how consumers recognize your business.
5. What Will Your Brand Be?
Choosing a brand can be a challenge, especially if you have no idea what you want. A great way to start and find a name for your brand is to consider something catchy, simple and easy to read. Another useful tip is to use the same letters for each word, like the letter “C” and sticking to no more than 3 words. For example “Craig’s Curry Cave”. This is catchy, simple and easy to read and very memorable. The words describe what the business is, who owns it and is very much targeted to an audience looking for food.
Additionally, another great method is to write down a list of words related to your business and look for other words that may be associated with your name. A thesaurus could also be very useful when undertaking this task. Once you have chosen several ideas, say them out loud and see how they sound to you. Always ask others for their advice so you can compare and see which one stands out the most.
When you have narrowed your choices down to a couple, you should undertake a search on godaddy.com to establish whether or not the domain name would be available. If it isn’t I would strongly suggest that you search for another name because having your brand name the same as your domain name will strengthen your branding influence and capacity on the internet.
6. Does It Matter What Colour Your Brand Is?
It most certainly does matter what colour your brand is when branding your business. Communicating the right colour to the right audience is essential for building trust and appeal to your target market.
For example, it is known that the following colours communicate and epitomise trust to these particular markets and/or audience:
Red – (Gentle & Love)
Blue – (Professional, Trusting)
Green – (Natural, Environment)
Orange – (Optimism)
Purple – (Imagination)
Black – (Secretive)
Yellow – (Smart, Cheerful)
We all know that Facebook is blue and that is no accident, blue represents professionalism and trust and as we all see, has a huge following.
Decide what colour appeals to your market. Whilst you are doing this, you also need to consider the image or logo you are going to use because this will have an impact on your brand as well.
Images are equally important, you want a strong positive image, not something that emphasizes negativity and will turn your audience away. Again, keeping it simple is usually the best motto however, associating your brand with your name may require something a little more complicated and if that is the case, it is always recommended that you have continuity all the way through.
7. Review Process
Once you have decided on your brand, colour, type, image, market, audience and any other component required to complete the process, it is time to review and finalize.
You can prepare all of this work yourself; however consulting with a professional is always a good idea. Not only do you get an unbiased opinion but you also get a “qualified” eye to look over your work.
Of course, there is a cost and it is up to you whether or not you choose to take that path.
If on the other hand, you are seeking professional advice, always make sure you understand the costs before any work is started, be specific with your instructions and get everything in writing. It is essential that you are happy with the end result. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Once you have your brand in place, you can start marketing and promoting your business.
To Your Outstanding Success
by Jennifer Smith | Nov 14, 2014 | Blog, Business, Marketing |
10 Things You Should Consider Before Buying A Laptop
Purchasing technology of any kind can be a daunting task and confusing at the best of times especially, when products are changing and updating at such a fast pace.
Where do you go for advice?
A really good question and for those who are not very technically savvy or even have a basic understanding of the different hardware specifications, these 10 things should help you cut through the jargon and buzzwords when you next consider buying a laptop.
So let’s break them down point by point:
1. Power
Battery life is the most essential element to a laptop. After all, this is generally the main feature buyers’ look for when they seek to purchase a laptop. A longer life battery enables greater flexibility for the end user.
In the past, there has been much conjecture over the battery performance in many laptops with sustainability in their lifespan often under delivering. That said, the convenience of maneuverability often outweighed the shorter battery life and laptops became very popular. With the recent introduction of the Ultrabook, manufacturers have taken battery life to a whole new level offering 5+ hours of battery. These batteries are stored in the chassis of the machine which allows for greater capacity.
TIP: Ensure you check the manufacturing instructions for both battery capacity and replacement options
2. Screen Size
Often the screen size of a laptop is very much a personal choice. Some consumers will choose the size of the laptop based on their needs whilst others go for a particular resolution. The best on the market at present is Apples’ Retina Macbook Pro with 2880 x 1800 resolution. I suggest before leaping straight in and choosing this model, do a full review to ensure this is exactly what you are looking for because each machine does have its drawbacks! This one is quite pricey.
One essential element to consider with the screen size is the technology used to make them. The majority of laptop screens are made from Twisted Nematic (TN) panels, ironically this technology is also used in the making of most desktops monitors.
Another thing to consider is whether or not you are getting a matte or glossy finish. Glossy finishes look great but can catch reflections, so watch out for this one. Again, it usually comes down to personal taste and the look you are after.
TIP: With the majority of laptops on the market, usually the smaller the screen, the lower the resolution – this is usually the case in cheaper models.
3. Storage
Most modern laptops have their technology “sealed” thereby restricting the ability to upgrade the hard drive. A great feature of most of these newer laptops as an alternative solution, is that installation of the USB 3 which allows for an external hard to be connected for extended storage. This is a real bonus.
TIP: Caching your computer on a regular basis will assist to keep costs down and overall improve system performance.
4. Memory
How much memory is really enough, that is very much an individual question for the intended user. The biggest trap to watch out for here is to find a laptop that will suffice and service your needs. The latest release of most laptops on the market don’t allow the option to increase their memory which was basically sacrificed for weight. So if you purchase one of these laptops, you’re done!
Don’t fall into the trap when purchasing one of these laptops with the idea of upgrading the memory down the track because you could be in for a whole lot of heartache and expense purchasing a new one. For the majority of user’s 4GB is ample capacity but for those who are serious contenders and user their laptop in a business capacity, I would tend to recommend 8GB. Both the Apple and Ultrabook are two models which come with 8GB. Remember, always do your research and before you buy your laptop ensure that it will fit your needs.
TIP: Provided you have a decent amount of RAM, capacity won’t be an issue for you – but make sure you do your due diligence
5. Graphics
Big decisions need to be made here! If you use programs like Photoshop and play around with a lot of graphics in general, enjoy playing lots of games, video editing etc. then you will need a laptop with high performing graphics features. It is suggested that when you are looking to purchase your laptop, consultation with the Retailer is recommended given the complexity of options available. For example, AMD’s APU’s will perform marginally better than Intel’s processor graphics.
TIP: Choosing the correct option will save frustration down the track as different graphics processors will deliver very different performances
6. CPU’s
Are you aware that laptops have increased their market share and are now dominating the marketing place over desktops!
If you are looking for a processor with plenty of grunt, you can’t go past Intel’s Core I series of CPU’s or AMD’s A series APU’s. There are plenty of options on the market. To distinguish, some of the higher end Core i7 models will end with the suffix QM, an example might be Core i7-3610QM. Whilst mainstream dual-core laptops will have the suffix M, an example might be Core i5-3360M. What does this mean? Generally speaking, these processors have a TDP of 35W and will run between 2GHz and 3GHz. The bulk of mainstream laptops will contain these processors and will provide a solid mix of performance and battery life.
TIP: Choosing the correct option will save frustration down the track as different graphics processors will deliver very different performances
7. Expandability
It is always a good idea to look at the types and numbers of ports available on the laptop. This will have significant impact over what you can and can’t do. The introduction of the UBS 3 has minimised the impact this issue may have had in the past. So what is a UBS 3? The USB 3 controller has the ability to run up to four ports whereas the majority of laptops only have three.
TIP: The Thunderbolt, an alternative to the USB3 is mostly confined to Apple laptops and offers double capacity but it is also a very expensive alternative
8. Networking
Technology sure has come ahead leaps and bounds. The use of Wi-Fi and desire to build laptop chassis’ far thinner than ever before has pushed the boundaries. Consequently, the new Ultrabook doesn’t require Ethernet to qualify under Intel’s specifications. On the market at present, the best available wireless standard is 802.11n and is supported by all modern laptops wireless chips.
TIP: Do your research, there are laptops out there that use fold-down Ethernet ports where the chassis is too thin for a more traditional port.
9. Software
Always check out the software packages offered with your intended purchase of the laptop. Windows 8 is now out on the shelves and available for the comsumer to purchase. I suggest you take a good look at the operating system you are purchasing. The newer laptops will be loaded with either Windows 7 and an upgrade option to Windows 8 or Windows 8. Usually the operating system will be the Home Version but with business products this is usually upgraded to the Professional Version. Often trial versions of other software are thrown into the deal as a nice little bonus eg. Microsoft Office, Antivirus Software, other smaller utility programs, all which are designed for the upsell to the full version. You are not obligated to upgrade from a trial version to a full version of software especially if you already have your own license.
TIP: If you don’t wish to use the trial version of these software packages, make sure you uninstall them from your laptop before uploading your licensed version.
10. Chassis Design
Comfort, style, feel, does it all really matter? Of course it does! Generally, one of the biggest reasons a consumer purchases a particular item is based on looks, touch and then overall suitability. Always give the laptop you are intending to purchase a thorough test drive before you buy. Ensure that they keyboard suits your hands and that the layout of the laptop underneath the lid is positioned how you like. With constant use, if these things aren’t to your liking then it won’t be long before you are again looking for another laptop.
TIP: Test drive EVERY key on the keyboard to ensure that none are sticking. It is a hard road if you have loaded everything you want on the laptop and find you have to start again because you have a faulty machine. – I know, I have been there….
Thanks for reading my Article – “What Are The 10 Things You Should Consider Before Buying A Laptop?” .
I hope it provided you with some value. Please leave your feedback and comments below.
To Your Outstanding Success
