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WHAT EXACTLY IS SMALL BUSINESS IMAGE BRANDING?
We're not going to bore you to death with an elaborate definition with big fancy words, let's just learn by using examples. Here is the simplest way to understand branding at its finest. Have you ever used a band-aid? Of course you have, everyone has, but did you know that the correct description for the item most commonly referred to by the entire world as a "band-aid" is actually an "adhesive bandage"? "Band-Aid" is nothing more than a brand name owned by Johnson & Johnson for a product that thousands of different manufacturers and companies world wide make and sell under their own company names. The brand name for "Band-Aid" in its product segment of the adhesive bandage industry is so dominant that most of the entire world refers to any adhesive bandage, REGARDLESS of the actual brand name of the company that produced it, as a "Band-Aid". Because the "Band-Aid" brand has become synonymous in the world's mind with adhesive bandages, it is most likely your first product choice when you go to the store looking for an adhesive bandage...because you're not actually looking for an adhesive bandage are you? You're looking for a "band-aid'. Now that's branding.
WHAT IS BRAND CONSISTENCY AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
Small Business Image Branding is all about image, perception, and associations. You want your company to have the look and feel of a multi-million dollar enterprise, because if you LOOK like the best to a customer, they will BELIEVE that you are and spend their money with your company vs. the next company. Brand consistency is also important in reeling in your potential customer and KEEPING THEM. Over time, customers build loyalty to businesses, products, and ultimately BRANDS, because of that business, product, and/or brand giving them the same positive experience time after time after time. A positive relationship is being made between that customer and that brand that must remain consistent in order to remain true. In creating your corporate brand to share with the world, you are essentially making a brand promise to your customers through the expectations that you set for their experience with your brand, right down to the colors that you choose for your company logo. In order for your brand image to ring true, it has to be consistent throughout your ENTIRE business. Everything that has anything to do with your business has to remain consistent with the brand image, including but not limited to: the company logo, business cards, letterhead, envelopes, website, brochures, pamphlets, menus, advertisements, store colors...EVERYTHING! A corporate brand is essential, because it creates the subconscious argument for the superior quality of your business, your product, and your BRAND in your customer's mind...without you ever having to say a word.
IF A CORPORATE BRAND IMAGE IS SO ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS, WHY DON'T MORE SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE ONE?
Most small business owners or self-employed entrepreneurs never invest in developing a corporate brand image because the tens of thousands of dollars that you can and will spend just on design alone are mind-boggling, not to mention the sky high cost of actually getting high quality corporate peripheral materials printed AFTER paying an arm and a leg to have them designed. For the majority of small and start-up businesses, spending $10,000-$20,000 just to have a corporate brand created for their business is not just impractical, it's impossible! Most small business owners would love to have that enterprise level corporate look, but either they can't afford it or unfortunately, they do not understand the value of making an investment so large in their image alone.
I UNDERSTAND WHY BRANDING IS SO ESSENTIAL FOR LARGE CORPORATIONS, BUT I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. DOES AN ENTERPRISE LEVEL CORPORATE BRAND IMAGE REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE SMALL START-UP COMPANY OR SELF-EMPLOYED ENTREPRENEUR?
Yes, Yes, YES! Here's the sad Catch 22 that most SMALL business owners and self-employed entrepreneurs never realize. Though creating the IMAGE is something that most small business owners can't afford, 9 times out of 10, IMAGE is the only thing that separates the big multi-million dollar enterprises from the little guy! Large companies spend THOUSANDS of dollars per year to make themselves look like they are the sharpest, the fastest, the most reliable...the BEST in their field, and they do this by crafting their BRAND IMAGE. The sad truth is, if the little company doesn't LOOK as competent as the big enterprise to the consumer, then guess what, it doesn't matter whether or not they actually are. They will not get that customer's business, because the customer PERCEIVES them to be less qualified than the big guy based on their image, or lack thereof. Small Business Image Branding is about crafting a cohesive BRAND IMAGE for your business that will create a certain PERCEPTION of the quality of your business, your products, and your services to your potential customer, and as the old mantra says, "PERCEPTION is REALITY."
OK, I'M SOLD. I NEED AND WANT A SPOTLESS CORPORATE BRAND IMAGE FOR MY COMPANY! THE PROBLEM IS THAT I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND I DON'T HAVE MUCH MONEY...CAN I AFFORD TO WORK WITH THE CREATIVE SUITE?
To tell the complete truth, the answer is NO! If we charged you what most companies DO CHARGE for the level of service and design expertise that we provide, most self-employed individuals, start-ups, or other small businesses would not be able to afford to work with The Creative Suite. If you've done any research at all on this industry, you know that Small Business Image Branding is an EXTREMELY expensive service. Lucky for you though, we just love working with the small business owner with big dreams! There are plenty of marketing and design companies out there helping big corporations become even more dominant by strengthening their brands. We want to do something different; We want our niche to be helping the little guy look like he's doing big business. You're probably trying to make sense out of this, asking yourself, "Why would they provide these services to small businesses for a fraction of the cost of what they are actually worth, when they could easily do the exact same thing for big businesses with money to burn and make a killing?" The truth of the matter is, at the core of it all, behind all the expensive looking logos and corporate websites, we're still that little guy at heart, we are you. We understand that in a new global economy where the internet has become the great equalizer in business, image is everything, and we can help you create that image. Yes, in this business, we could easily triple our prices and nary an eyebrow would be raised...but we like being the company that gives the underdog a chance. In fact, we wouldn't have it any other way, because this is not just a business, this is our passion. Your brand image is what sets you apart from small time competition and lets you compete in the big leagues; Let us help you bridge the gap!
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| Copyright 2009, Echelon27 Media Group LLC. |
Echelon27 Creative Suite is a division of Echelon27 Media Group LLC.  |
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