Branding
Why is branding so important?
Amateurs sell products. The expert sells a brand. Look, we have all learned what we know from others. Very few things in life is original anymore. For the most part we don’t profess to others what we know. We proclaim to them what we believe in. Because we know a whole lot, but we rarely believe in all that we know.
I do not want this post to get lost in the maze, thus I created a special page up here so you can understand what is at stake.
Pizza Hut, Dominos – Both sell Pizza. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King – All sell pretty much the same menu. But what makes them stand out is branding. The corner store deli who perhaps makes as good a burger cannot compete for many other reasons including branding.
Once you conquer the branding aspect of your business, any product or services you sell revolving around the branding identity will sell better than the perceived value of the product itself.
Martha Stewart sells hundreds of assorted items via her corporation. Tomorrow she may remove some products and introduce a few new ones in the market. Her image is what sells. She sells her image. You buy her products. Transaction complete.
If you are in any business, your name is perhaps the most valued asset. Do all you can to introduce your name to the marketplace. Align your name brand with your product marketing. Tie in your name with your services. Let people know who you are as much as they may come to know about your company. If you think you are not the best person to represent the business where media savvy is concerned, hire or align your business with a spokesperson who can market your brand well.
All this is hard work, but it has to start somewhere. Get your brand domain name registered. If your domain name is available for registration, do register it. If you feel you are someone with lofty ambitions and keen to take your business to the next level quickly, then trade mark your brand name as well. It will play an influential role in assisting your company gain valuable recognition.
After you register your domain name, create a blog based on that brand. If you don’t know how, ask for help. It can be done cheaply. Build your blog to target your desired audience. Learn to manage and update your blog with relevant information specific to your industry. Share your knowledge to the extent you can. Build a community.
All of this (and I am pretty sure a lot more) is essential towards elevating your business to the next level.
Branding is the key. You may not have the advertising budget of big corporations, but you sure can afford to get your name brand in your possession. Even if you do not have a business of your own, your name should be registered by you to create an online presence. It is like having a phone number, except that phone numbers can be changed. You can get a new number. Your online identity once taken is gone for good. At least, this is a gamble any serious entrepreneur must not bet on.
If your last name is taken (which is the case most times), get your full name. If your name differs from your business name, then you can use the identity to start a blog, which is critical to informing your target audience about you, your business, your company and the direction it is taking.
Some famous brands took years to be known as they are today. What they did was start at some point.
Some great examples are :
Tiger Woods
and the list goes on. . .
Branding is supremely important and it begins with your name. Do it today!
To register your name, Visit : http://www.godaddy.com
If you’d like to set up a blog, please email me : support @ chrisdesouza dot com
