Business Branding Strategies and Tips

Employing proper business branding strategies could spell the success for your business. Although it might be an intangible aspect of your business, it is basically what convinces people to buy or avail of your products or services. And when you garner enough sales, then only then can your business thrive.

What is a Branding Strategy?

A brand is not just a logo or a name, it represents your business identity. Therefore, it is a crucial part of the startup process for any business. Branding strategies are employed to provide the fundamental steps and recognize the valuable tools that will help create a strong business brand. In general terms, a strong brand is one that people recognize and believe to deliver good quality. Have you ever found yourself at the grocery choosing one product over the other because it is the more recognized or trusted brand?

It is therefore a branding strategy's objective to recognize what could turn your business into a trusted brand name. How can you make people trust your brand and its reputation? What should you do to communicate the objective and mission of your company? What is the message you are trying to send out to produce loyal customers? A sound business branding strategy will aim to find answers to these questions before you can establish a brand for your company that would excel in the market.

Create Name, Logo, or Website

Coming up with a name for your business goes hand in hand with creating a logo that will identify your company. When it comes to logos, always opt for something unique. Logos will be utilized in your advertising and marketing campaigns, so it must be well-recognized.

For beginners, think of a logo that will readily hint consumers about the nature of your business – such as whether you are in the food, automotive, or telecommunications business. Hence, choose images that are associated with the nature of your business and the products they will be used to represent.

Slogan or Tagline

Once you have the logo that you want, you can think of a slogan that will reinforce the message you are trying to communicate to the consumers. As long as you keep this part brief and straightforward, then this can be an effective branding tool for your business. This tagline will serve as an additional touch to the main message you are trying to give, thus giving you an edge over your competitors and highlighting the unique experience or service that consumers will be able to avail of.

One advantage that you can get with including a tagline is that it is not permanent, unlike the logo. Therefore, if your company wishes to employ a new marketing strategy, you can readily change your tagline to highlight this new marketing ploy. A tagline then opens up several opportunities to expand your marketing campaigns, as compared to the static nature of company logos because they are the ones more difficult to establish.

Colors and Images

As with logos, colors and images can be used to establish the identity of your business. Colors depict a corresponding set of emotions as well. Therefore, you need to carefully pick out exactly what type of color you are going to use in your logo in accordance with the image and personality of your business. Try to conduct a little bit of research about the different qualities of color types so you can determine exactly what best to use for your company.

Unique Services

When communicating your company brand into the market, highlight the services that only you can offer. If you can guarantee a service that none of your competition can, then you create an edge on your customers over the same businesses. Then, you can use that as a chief marketing strategy to draw more people into your business. An example of this would be a time guarantee on your delivery services, if you're in the food business.

Learning how to effectively employ these business branding strategies will help boost your company's campaign and be that much closer to your desired business success.

Lead With “you” for Proactive Relationship Selling

Author: Sam Manfer

What do you say when you call on potential buyers or the top executives of your clients organizations? If you’re like most, you’ll do some chit chat and then say something similar to, “I just wanted to check on how we’re doing with the XYZ project.” Then probably before you leave, you’ll say, “Are there any new projects coming up that we can help with or participate in?”


Both questions are self-centered, reactive questions. Yes, reactive. Even though in the second question you’re asking about future business, you’re not causing change. You’re waiting for the person to tell you what he’s going to do and hopefully allow you in. That’s reactive. Self centered because you’re asking how “we” are doing or how “we” can help. This is all about you even though it relates to his world.


To become more effective on your visits (that is leave with something tangible), get into your clients worlds, as if you were just trying to learn about it. Ask questions that will reveal their current state of mind relative to their job or the project - not as it relates to you or your company. Once you understand their concerns, you can determine if you can fit and if so you’ll be able to offer suggestions to help create the desired changes.


See if you understand the difference between the following questions from the questions in the first paragraph.


“How’s the XYZ project going?” vs. “I just wanted to check on how we’re doing with the XYZ project.”


The difference is it lets the person think of the XYZ project as it relates to him rather than how it relates to you. As he answers you’ll get a broader understanding of this person’s mindset beyond your participation. If you use the “we” then he’ll start thinking of you’re involvement, which narrows his focus. Then to minimize time and to spare your feeling he’ll be brief, “You’re doing fine,” or “It’s OK, but I wish we had something.”


In other words you won’t learn much, not even about you’re participation. However, if you just ask about the project, using the “you / your” focus, his mind is free to go anywhere related to the project and you’ll get more information about his feelings. And this information can be useful later to sell him more of your other services. You’ll also get a better understanding of your position relative to his bigger picture.


“What are some of your issues and concerns with upcoming projects?” vs. “Are there any new projects coming up that we can help with or participate in?”


The difference here is it gets the person to reveal what’s on his mind about his job as it relates to the upcoming project, etc. If you listen, he’ll say what’s bothering him or what needs to be done in the future (changes). These may be areas where you can offer ideas and solutions before he finalizes what he’ll do. And if you’re prepared to pepper him with other ideas you can get him thinking beyond his original boundaries into other services (that you offer) he hadn’t thought about. Now that’s proactive.


Based on his answers, you can decide if you want to participate, and if so, you’ll be seen as a consultative sales person rather than a vendor. You’ll be able to offer solutions to a broader area of pain, which enables you to sell more. You’ll also be able to determine if he’s a looker or a doer. That is, willing to exert the effort required to produce the changes. If he’s not, you’ll get out quickly. But if he is, you’ll be the resource he’ll want to use.


The differences in the questions are subtle, but profound. Most people genuinely feel they are asking the other person to talk about themselves and their situation. Yet the way they ask the questions, unconsciously limits the responder’s answers. Once you put the “I” or the “We” into your questions, the other person feels it’s all about you wanting to sell him and consequently becomes guarded with his answers.


Test yourself. Next time you leave a voicemail, play it back before you hang up and see if you are “I” oriented or “you” oriented.


So keep it all about him. Start all you questions with the word “You”. This will be extremely difficult at first. Just try it. You’ll quickly see it is not easy to just focus on the other person.


For more selling insights go to www.sammanfer.com and review other articles.

Article Source: www.articlesbase.com

About the Author:
Sam Manfer provides powerful selling information through articles, books, and seminars for Relationship Selling at C-Levels, Effective Sales Calls and all other selling skills. Visit www.SamManfer.com to see more inspiring articles and to register for his free Selling Wisdoms E-zine.