Marketing

Top Branding Tips

By William M. Severi |

The following guidelines can help you establish a brand for your company in today's marketplace.

• Your brand is your reputation --  the most valuable thing you possess. A strong brand and the trust it engenders are the only aspects of your company that competitors can't steal.
• Top management must believe in, commit to, and fund an effective branding program. The most valuable, successful, and powerful companies are those with the strongest brands and the strongest commitment to branding.
• Before designing or refining your brand, actively listen to the marketplace, including clients', employees', and vendors' feelings and needs. The strongest brands are those with real and perceived benefits that best mirror actual customer needs and wants.
• Brands that communicate unique selling propositions are the most convincing to clients and the easiest for them to remember.
• Continually promote, publicize, and invest in your brand. Building a business brand is analogous to training and conditioning an athlete: The harder he works, the better the results.
• Ensure all of your communications -- not just advertising and marketing pieces -- are consistent with your brand. Everything your company distributes must reflect it.
• Walk your talk. Businesses continually must seek client, employee, and vendor feedback about conflicts between the company's brand and its actual performance.