One of the things that are important for you to do as you build your
business is to "brand" yourself. One of the definitions of "brand"
according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary is "to impress
indelibly."
What you want to do is get the word out about yourself, your company,
and your products or services in such a way and at such a frequency so
as to make an indelible mark on the minds of your potential customers.
That's not a hard thing to do if you are selling the first ever miracle
widget. But what do you do if you are in a business that is
commonplace, like selling office supplies, or in an affiliate program
with thousands of other resellers just like yourself?
Let's take a look at some examples of excellent branding.
1) Saturn, a car manufacturing company.
When the owners of Saturn were contemplating opening the company, they
needed to find a way to stand out from all the other car manufacturers
that had been around for decades.
The owners decided to find "better ways for people to work together to
design, build and sell cars. [They would be a] car company that would
talk straight, do what it promised and deliver solid value at a fair
price" (taken from http://www.saturn.com).
Their strategy worked. Saturn is one of the most popular make of cars
on the road today.
2) Home Depot, a warehouse hardware store.
When Home Depot came into the market place, hardware stores were in
almost every town. What did the world need with yet another hardware
store? In our area, there was even a warehouse hardware store chain
already in existence. What could Home Depot do to stand out from the
rest?
Home Depot hired professional contractors to work in their various
departments. This meant that when a customer went, for example, to the
paint shop, the customer actually spoke with a professional painter for
tips and advice.
Home Depot went a step further and created a do-it-yourself university,
where customers could take classes on the weekend to learn how to
remodel their own kitchen using supplies purchased, you guessed it, at
Home Depot.
Home Depot is fast becoming synonymous with the term "hardware store"
because it is one-stop shopping and tutoring for customers.
3) Progressive Auto Insurance
When Progressive Auto Insurance emerged online, they were one of many
car insurance companies, some of which had been around for decades and
boasted of a solid customer base. To add to their challenge, they
entered the internet world.
Progressive Auto Insurance did something that was unheard of in the
insurance industry. Whenever a customer asked for a price quote on
their insurance, Progressive gave them price quotes of 3 auto insurance
competitors. Progressive counseled customers to go with the company
that could save them the most money, even if the company wasn't
Progressive.
What should have been disastrous - encouraging customers to go with
other companies to save money - actually became their strongest selling
point, because they built the trust of their customers.
How can this work for you?
1) Develop your own mission statement and decide what kind of company
you want to be like.
2) Check out your competitors to see what services and products they
are offering and how they are marketing themselves. Do you see any
gaps in the market place that they are not filling? Find a way to fill
the gap.
3) Determine what extra service or product you can provide to make life
easier and better for your company, even if you give it away for free.
Even if you are in a business that thousands of other business owners
are in, there is something unique about YOU, and you can use this
uniqueness to brand yourself with a twist.
Sharon Dalton Williams is the author of "8 Steps to Abundant Success."
Learn how to reach the goals you have set for your life and business.
Surf to http://www.sdwassociates.com/succeed.htm to order your copy.
Learn how to use what is uniquely you in building your business.
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