I read an article on branding for small businesses recently which I thought contained a lot of relevant information. You can read it for yourself my clicking the link, http://www.businessballs.com/market.htm#Advertisingandpromotion
I would be interested in hearing your comments. The article states that, “Branding refers to naming a business or product or service”. I think branding goes much deeper than that and for many small businesses I think it missed a key point and that is that branding is more than just what you do or the name of your company or product – it is about what is uniquely you and what sets you apart from everyone else.
What I also find is that many small businesses struggle with this. Yes, they can come up with a great product or service and even pay a lot of money to have a designer create a great company name and logo but when asked “what is uniquely you and what sets you apart from everyone else?” many struggle to come up with an answer.
There is a solution to this if you are prepared to take time to really consider your answers to some soul searching questions, the key ones being:-
- What really motivates you to do what you do?
- What are the specific problems you want to solve and for whom and what results you want to see?
- What is your purpose?
- What are your strengths?
- What makes you memorable?
This is not a five minute job. You really need to take time to consider and write down your answers to these questions, as a minimum, and get someone who really knows you well to help particularly with the last two questions.
The great thing about this exercise is that not only will it help you create a great brand, it will also give you drive and focus which are essential for any successful small business.
Creating your own brand takes time. Once you think have created your brand, ask yourself the last question from the linked article, “… does it truly fit with what I’m trying to do in my business?”
If you need help in creating your brand (and even if you have no intention of ever starting your own business, a strong personal brand is just as essential for success in interviews) then drop me an email to see how I can help or come to one of the workshops that I co-host at http://www.twomotivatingminds.com/?page_id=109
Theinspirationalcoach's Blog 
Comments on: "What is a brand?" (2)
I just stopped by your blog and thought I would say hello. I like your site design. Looking forward to reading more down the road.
I really appreciate “What is a Brand” because I am looking at that now in my Life Coaching business. I’ve heard I have to narrow my niche. I’ve also heard that I don’t. But I like the questions you ask and will spend some time thinking and writing about them.