Branding 101

Creating a brand is about creating a memorable image, mark, or symbol that potential customers will remember at the time of a purchase decision. It is much more than simply throwing a logo on something and pushing the product. A brand's value begins at its inception and grows or shrinks with each subsequent target interaction.

When building a brand, consider who your target is. Consider the reasons your target will decide to purchase.

• Is the product hip? or is it a need? or does it have some special value?
• What images and brands is your target already accustomed to?
• What message will draw your target's interest?

Building a brand takes time, money, and a lot of effort. It takes dozens of impressions before your targets begin to recognize that a brand is here to stay and can be trusted. It takes being noticed when the target is ready to make a decision.

There are also various media types to consider when selecting a branding method. Some targets are internet savvy. Others, read the newspaper. Yet others receive their information on their mobile devices. We'll get into this in another post.

Branding is part art and part science. A couple of additional questions are important as homework until the next post:

• What do you do to track your successes?
• Are your prepared to make changes to your brand if your existing one isn't working?