Step 9: Small Business Startup Guide In 10 Easy Steps!

STEP 9: Establish a brand

There is one very important intangible asset I need to create and harvest in my business; a powerful brand. Brand here refers to the summary of my business identity, how unique is it from the rest, and why buyers should choose my product/service over other alternatives.

Branding is important for small businesses because many small operations do not have the funding to carry out a heavy branding campaign. Thus, a brand must be so powerful that it reduces a buyer's perception of risk and makes the purchase a satisfactory choice.

In my research on what makes a brand a super brand, I have found out that a SUPER BRAND consists of six elements:
1. Brand Essence Traits of the brand in terms of its purpose, uniqueness, personality and commitment to the consumers.

2. Target Market The brand must be specific enough to the target market it seeks to penetrate and market.

3. Brand Name A superb brand name has several criteria; emotional, easy to be remembered, has character and original.

4. Logo It's a visual image of the brand that communicates the brand essence.

5. Website Dedicate a website for your brand with a domain name similar to the brand name.

6. Demand for the brand Product performance or service quality, consumers' experience dealing with the company all add up to a brand experience. Make them perfect so that the brand will bring more new and repeat business, even if the company diversifies to another field. Once the trust for a brand is established, the sales will keep flowing in.
Besides the six elements, I will be proactive in creating brand awareness. I constantly find out ways and means I could promote my brand to the public through free advertisements, media write up, newsletter, Q & A column, discussion board and classifieds. There are many media publications and online newsletters (and community or discussion forums) that allow me to advertise for free or for a very small fee. I won't allow shortage of advertisement or promotion budget to slow me down in creating and enhancing brand awareness.

*Note: This content contains no unproven teory or thesis! If you need any small business startup help, feel free to visit my Website :)

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Dave J, is an E-preneur, NLP-Certified Business Coach and Author. Within a decade, Dave J has served as an advisor to countless small-level to high-level business leaders around the world. Despite such a short span, Dave J has becoming a highly-respected authority on the psychology of business leadership, business startup, management and marketing. His forte is coaching ordinary people to attain professional and financial breakthrough.