Do-It-Yourself Branding: HayLoise's Branding Tips
Vision
- Determine what you want your brand to stand for.
- Write it down so it's can be communicated throughout your company!
- Make sure that everyone in your company understands what to say about your company.
- Make sure everything you do, say, print, or publish is consistent with that style.
- Make sure that everyone in your company understands how your brand should be displayed.
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Image
- Keep It Simple � in today's busy world, simple stands out.
- Lay the groundwork for what you really want to look like long term. Even if you aren't printing brochures,
creating billboards, or embroidering shirts today, you may be in the future. Make sure your images will work.
- Stay away from really trendy colors and images. What's "hot" now will be "pass�" tomorrow.
- Pick something you can live with and stick with it � it's all about creating something that's recognizable.
- Don't change it. Changing a brand image creates confusion with your customers and can be very expensive.
- If you feel you have to rebrand, make sure you put together a communication plan that involves
your customers
� don't let it be a surprise.
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Message
- Keep It Simple � in today's busy world, simple stands out.
- Put yourself in your customers place. Create a message that enables you to connect with the customer.
- Make sure your messages are believable - can you really deliver what you are promising.
- Make sure your messages are memorable. If people can remember and understand your messages.
- Are they consistent?
- Is everybody telling the same story? In person and in print?
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Means
- Determine what marketing techniques make sense for your business.
- Don't do advertisements just because that's what other people do.
- Find the technique that makes you stand out.
- Find the means that creates an emotional connection with your customer.
- Put your money where it will work hardest toward achieving your business objectives.
- Build an incredible web site.
- Show there's a real organization behind the site.
- Make it easy to contact you.
- Professional design - visual design should match purpose.
- Make it easy to use.
- Update often.
- Use restraint with ads and effects.
- Avoid Errors of all types � no matter how small.
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�Cow Tipping� is really the bovine science of solving branding dilemmas.
Find my cow tips here, in our monthly newsletters, and AbuLLard�s ABC�s of Branding.
After all, who knows more about branding than cows.
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-- HayLoise |
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