Developing your Brand

Whether you realize it or not, your company is already branded. Customers make, every day hundreds of evaluations of companies based solely on what they know. Rarely is any additional effort made to dig deeper, to learn more before forming an opinion. Realizing this, and what branding really is, is vital for the small business owner.
The best laid plans are useless unless the worked-for goal is accomplished. You can easily attempt to brand yourself as the industry leader in your field, but if you fail to live up to that, even once, the results can be detrimental. It is far better to be seen as a middle of the pack player than as the complete fraud you will be perceived as should you fail to live up to the image you are projecting. This fact must play a huge role in developing your marketing concept and budget. So where do you begin?
1. Start by realizing how you are currently perceived. Make calls, send surveys, ask many questions in an attempt to see how past clients have liked (or disliked) your service or product. How did their interaction make them feel? What are their expectations should they work with you again? Even more importantly, how would they describe you and your company to a friend?
2. Take the replies you receive and compare them to your mission statement. Are they different? How so? Was the response you received expected? Why or why not? Work with a trusted friend, coworker or consultant to honestly evaluate your current position.
3. Develop what you want to be. Do not try to be too much! A very common mistake is to attempt to be all things to everyone. You want to be the fastest, cheapest, and the highest quality in your industry? Good luck with that. Focus on one area where you can differentiate yourself. Be the most creative, easiest to work with, or the fast in response time. Be able to quantify this.
4. Develop a business plan focused on your new brand, enabling you to deliver it well. Emphasize this focus in all client and company meetings, as well as in a consistent theme in your mission statement and marketing. Do not attempt marketing campaigns that emphasize a variety of benefits, focus on one, and be able to quantify it.
5. Set controls. These are benchmarks in your processes that will tell you if you are on track to deliver what you have promised. If you brand yourself as the company in your industry with the fastest response time, have you lived up to this even before the project is completed? How quickly are phone calls and emails being replied to? Is there a company guideline for this?
Having a company that is not well branded and without a business plan to back it up results in a company that cannot grow. Pick one area of expertise, and do it well. Once it is mastered and can be maintained, you can add to it. “Jack of all trades, master of none” is great for the neighborhood fix-it guy, but disaster for your business.