Many small business owners launch their businesses without thinking about their brand. Some may even question what is a brand and why is it important to their success. Branding your business should be a part of every marketing strategy, no matter how big or small the business. After all, a familiar brand will yield more sales.

Your brand image simply means how your brand is perceived. For example, the Harley Davidson brand is perceived as a tough, rebel motorcycle brand. People are attracted to the brand if they’re seeking a tough image. Harley Davidson brand image is one of the most successful brands and has often been compared to Coca-Cola in terms of branding success.

A brand identity is how you want your brand to be perceived. If Harley Davidson decided they wanted to be perceived as a ‘gentleman’s motorcycle’ or attain an elite image like BMW, then they’d certainly have their work cut out for them!

Be aware that the brand image and identity are two separate yet important factors in your success. If there is a vast difference between the image and the identity, then you need to make some changes in order to improve your sales.

What are the key factors to making your company’s brand identity a reality?

Your Unique Selling Point (or USP) is simply what makes you unique and different from your competition. Your USP is often the foundation for an overall marketing strategy success.

Repetition is one of the first things any advertising student learns: It takes at least three connections to create recognition. Each day we’re inundated with more than 3000 advertising messages so there is plenty of competition for mind space. Connect with your audience in as many ways as you can via telephone, print, email, mail, radio, and television, etc. Each new marketing tool used will help tie your brand identity to your brand image.

Your business personality is a key ingredient and quite possibly the best tool in a small business owner’s marketing toolbox. People are motivated to buy because they like you, because they identify with you. Think about it for a moment, who do you buy from? Martha Stewart is a tremendous success because despite all her quirks, people like her. Her brand is her personality.

Your brand identity must be consistent across the board to be successful. From the way your website is designed to the magazines you choose to publish or advertise in, branding relies heavily on consistency. If Harley Davidson advertised in Martha Stewart Living Magazine, people would scratch their heads in confusion. If, however, they advertise or publish in Muscle or Car and Driver, that makes much more sense to the prospect.

Use some unique methods to set yourself and your company apart from your competition. This is where publicity and promotion come into play or creative advertising. What can you do to capture the attention of your prospect while at the same time improve brand image?

Sit down today and analyze your brand image and brand identity to see if they match. If they do, then you are achieving success in your marketing efforts. If not, then listen to what your customers want and make some changes to your marketing efforts. What you discover during this self analysis will only benefit you and your business.

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