What's Your Brand?

[Dale King]

A brand communicates specific information about an organization, product or service, distinguishing it from others in the marketplace.

A brand can also apply to an individual.

For example, Martha Stewart is a brand.

Her brand is "chic creative elegance," or "style."

Oprah is a brand.

Her brand is trustworthiness. People trust Oprah.

And therein lies the secret of branding.

The true power of a brand does not come from the what, where, when and how. It comes from the "who" and "why."

Who are you?

Why are you?

Have you really taken the time to think about the importance of every little thing that is associated with your business - from your logo to your domain name?

When prospects visit your home page can they immediately tell what you do - what you stand for?

It's important to think about these things, because if you brand yourself properly, it can propel you to great heights.

Here are a few things that can help you brand yourself effectively:

1. Think carefully about the name you choose for your business. Naming your business after your kids may be cute - but only to you.

It means nothing to anyone else, outside of family, friends and relatives.

Be smarter than that. More importantly, be creative. Give your business a name that's in direct correllation with the message you're trying to convey.

2. Make your home page "obvious." In other words, when people visit your home page, it should be obvious what your website is all about.

People shouldn't have to try and "guess" what you do. Make it obvious to them.

The best way to make what you do obvious, is to convey your message in your logo or company slogan.

3. Become viral. Viral marketing is any marketing technique that induces web sites or users to pass on a marketing message to other sites or users, creating a potentially exponential growth in the message's visibility and effect.

For example, writing articles is a form of viral marketing.

If you write articles and allow them to be freely published, your articles become viral, meaning your articles can actually spread like a virus and have the potential to be viewed by hundreds of thousands of Internet users.

In closing, think carefully about who you are and what you do - and then let the whole world know!

Dale King