When only one product or service can be the best in any market, we ask ‘how can you ensure your branding commands attention and justifies a higher price?’ For an SME who does not necessarily have the luxury of an in-house marketing team, it is vital you take expert advice from an experienced branding expert to ensure you’re on the right track for growth. Here are 4 essential elements that must be part of your branding tookit if you want to create a reputation that attracts the right kind of customers you want to work with and more importantly, keep.

1. Your Business Name
A unique name can be memorable, but I’d recommend a simple name that describes what your business provides best. Most people search online these days, so think about what your prospects will search for online to find you/your product/your service. You’ll likely find the keywords you think they’re searching for are actually different!  Do your research and visit http://adwords.google.com/keywordplanner then type in some keywords related to your product/service. You’ll then be able to take a realistic view about how many people are actually searching for that. Once you know what your prospects are looking for, you can name your business around that search term. This will give you a head start over competitors who have a unique and pretty name that doesn’t mean anything to anyone unless they already know to search for it.

2. Your Logo
Don’t be fooled into thinking your logo is your brand! Many SME’s find the cheapest designer they can to create a logo that looks nice on a business card. Your prospects will see right through it. While you may attract customers, they won’t necessarily be the kind of customers you want to keep. So before launching into your logo design, ensure you have a good brand strategy so your new brand icon represents a brand that can grow and evolve as your business does. The last thing you want in 6-12 months time is creating a new logo because your business has evolved and your logo says nothing about you anymore.  Speak to a professional branding company like Impulse who can help you with this.

3. Your Website
Your website acts as your ‘brochure’. Consumers now expect every professional business to have a web presence. If you cannot afford a full on brochure website, consider a weblog which is a great way of promoting your business online. Impulse offer a number of weblog packages to help SME’s start getting the online presence they need to grow.

4. Your Business Card:
Every business owner should have business cards that reflect the values and uniqueness of the brand, whilst maintaining visual consistency with your website and other marketing materials. You need to ask yourself what your strategy is for your business card before launching into designing it.

• Do you want them to put it in a business card wallet or sit on their desk so they don’t forget you?
• Do you want your card to be a conversation piece?
• Do you want your card to be passed on and on, stopping just long enough to earn you some business before being passed onto the next person?

I’d recommend that before launching into the design of your card, you run it by us and see if we can help.

To create powerful branding for your business call 01904 430 666 or get it touch via the contact us page.