The Do's and Don'ts in Branding

Afraid of making critical branding mistakes with your hot, new start up?

You aren't alone but sticking to the following do's and don'ts of great branding will help guide you to building a winning brand…

4 Branding Do's:

1. Unification
Do make sure your branding will work for all of your products and services and create a plan for maintaining strong branding.

2. Do Check Availability before Committing
Unfortunately, with so many new start up businesses and some scammers constantly churning businesses, it can be difficult to find names which are available.

Make sure that matching vanity numbers, web domain names and business names are all available.

3. Do Hone in on a Niche
Your business will take off much faster and be able to accomplish much more with its marketing budget if you hone in on a niche, rather than competing against everyone in your industry right off the bat.

4. Do recognize that Branding is more than Just a Name
Recognize the importance of both visual and verbal branding throughout your marketing materials and web assets.

6 Branding Don'ts:

1. Uniqueness
Don't try to sound like everyone else in your industry

2. Don't be too stuffy
Focus on what your prospects really want and not just what you do

3. Don't Underestimate the Importance of Branding
Underestimating the power of branding is something which has haunted many entrepreneurs for years until they eventually had to start again from scratch.

4. Don't think too small
Don't think too short term – will it still work when you go global?

5. Throwing Out the Dictionary
Don't be afraid to create your own hybrid words to catch attention and lessen the SEO competition.

6. Don't get too complicated
Get too complicated and prospects could have trouble spelling your Internet domain name or vanity number and end up with your competition, unless you have reserved all of the possible variations.