Brand Froundry

Top 10 Branding Practices

It doesn’t get much more basic than this. These ten principles, when followed consistently, deliver clear and powerful brands.

1. Focus on what your business achieves for its customers. Your brand is no good to you if it isn’t delivering what customers want.

2. Take ownership of your brand. Pay attention to customers’ needs, but you should still control what you want your brand to mean to them. Remeber, there’s no use in trying to be everything to everyone – be who you are and find your market niche.

3. Be honest. If you don’t believe in your brand, no one else will.

4. Keep your brand simple. By focusing on a small number of key brand values, you’ll naturally find the characteristics of your business that set you apart from your competitors.

5. Be consistent. Every aspect of your business should make customers feel the same way about you.

6. Be thorough. Look at everything you do to make sure it supports your brand. This includes telephone scripts, invoicing and accounts payable systems, and customer service processes in addition to the visible collateral like logos and letterhead.

7. Involve employees. Make sure they understand your brand and believe in it. After all, your customer’s will probably be interacting with your employees more than you. An employee with brand “buy-in” is a valuable assett.

8. Communicate your brand. Make sure every advertisement, brochure and letter helps reinforce the same message. If you have a logo, use it everywhere, but make sure the quality is consistent.

9. Do what you say you’ll do, keep ytour word. Meet and exceed what your brand promises. Failing, just once, will damage your brand.

10. Manage your brand. Continually look for opportunities to make improvements. And don’t be afraid to make changes to reflect shifts in the way you do business or new trends in your market.