Home topics small-business-resources sales-and-marketing Marketing Starting Marketing Ten tips for effective branding Sharon Williams November 12, 2008 Your brand is the way the world perceives your business , products and services . With thousands of new brands being developed every day, it has never been more important to develop a strong brand that differentiates itself from the competition . Top tips for successful branding: 1. Stand back and observe Take an objective look at your brand by laying your collateral out (brochures etc). Do they reflect the business you are now? Sometimes it takes an external or objective view to completely understand what your brand represents. Your customers will tell you if you ask them! 2. Get to the point Can you communicate what you do in 60 seconds? Get your story straight now. Make it easy for people to understand what you do immediately. The most effective way of doing this is through promoting the benefits of your product or service and clarifying your key messages. 3. Consistency is key Be clear and consistent in your collateral. Consistency builds brands faster and shows everyone is ‘singing from the same song sheet’. This helps your brand be clearly understood rather than via a confusion of disjointed messages. Ask your designer to set up a style guide of rules around the use of your logo so that everything within the organisation fits in line and can be easily related to the brand family. 4. Stand out from the crowd Remember great