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07/24/12 | Uncategorized

Smarter Branding For Startups (Without Breaking The Bank)

Save $150 on the Udemy “Smarter Branding For Startups” online class taught by Brenda Bence and learn about the five assets you can use to create a powerful brand, without spending a lot of money.

By Brenda Bence (Instructor, Udemy)

Brands are everywhere. In fact, studies show that the average person living in a large urban city today runs across 3,000 brands every 24 hours. Not convinced? Start counting the brands you see from the moment you wake up tomorrow morning ā€¦ from your brand of alarm clock, to your brand of sheets, toothbrush, toothpaste, refrigerator, breakfast cereal, smart phone, computer.

Then, head outside and notice the dozens of brands on the sides of busses, in the aisles of your neighborhood store, and the on billboards on the highway. You get the picture.

This is the world in which your brand competes. In fact, business owners today face two harsh realities: (1) Itā€™s more and more challenging to compete in this ever-growing sea of brand choices, and (2) this brand influx comes at a time when marketing budgets are tighter then ever due to struggling economies.

Despite all that doom and gloom, Iā€™m here to tell you that you already have what you need to build a strong brand and stick out. In fact, you have five assets you can use immediately to create a powerful brand, without spending a lot of money. In this and a few follow-on posts, youā€™ll learn more about these five assets.

*** Women 2.0 members save $150 on my “Smarter Branding For Startups” Udemy course online – Sale ends August 28, 2012 so buy now! ***

Whatā€™s the most important low-cost asset you already have in your brand arsenal?

Positioning. A smartly-positioned brand is the foundation for success.

What is ā€œbrand positioning,ā€ anyway? Itā€™s the way you want your customers to perceive, think and feel about your brand, compared to competition. Itā€™s a unique and specific piece of mental real estate that your brand owns in the minds of your customers, and it clearly defines the reason your brand exists.

Some small business owners scoff at positioning and say, ā€œWeā€™re too small ā€“ we donā€™t have, or even need, a positioning.ā€ The truth is: Small companies need a positioning even more than big companies. Big conglomerates have the budgets to make mistakes now and then, and can recover quickly. But, if youā€™re small, even minor branding mistakes can cost you a lot. In fact, an unclear brand positioning for a small company could mean the end of the company – fast.

Hereā€™s another branding myth: ā€œIā€™ve never given my companyā€™s positioning any thought, so I donā€™t yet have one.ā€ The reality is: You already have a positioning, whether you like it or not. Thatā€™s because your customers have perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about your brand right now. The question is whether those perceptions, thoughts, and feelings reflect the positioning
you want.

Bottom line: If you donā€™t have a clear and well-defined brand positioning statement, you simply arenā€™t in the driverā€™s seat, and your chances of business success are limited.

Positioning isnā€™t just the product or service you sell. Take chewing gum, as an example. Letā€™s face it: All gum is made up of the same basic ingredients ā€“ a chunk of gum base, some sweetener and flavoring.

But, how those same ā€œproductsā€ are positioned as brands can be dramatically different:

  • Clorets gum eliminates bad breath.
  • Hubba Bubba provides big bubble-blowing satisfaction.
  • Dentyne Fire and Ice offers intense flavors.
  • The sugar-free Five gum brand is for health-conscious consumers to help attract the opposite sex.
  • Orbit provides white and beautiful teeth. The brand says, ā€œYou can have beautiful teeth even if the rest of you isnā€™t so beautiful.ā€

Get the idea?

Getting your positioning right is the single most important part of the branding process, but ā€œgetting it rightā€ requires that you first define it in a brand positioning statement.

This includes six core elements –

  1. Target Market
  2. Customer Needs
  3. Competitive Framework
  4. Benefits
  5. Reasons Why
  6. Brand Character

How well those six elements fit together to form the basis of your brand makes the difference between success and failure. And, thatā€™s how you get your brand to stand out among the 3,000+ brands your customers are barraged with every day.

*** Women 2.0 members save $150 on my “Smarter Branding For Startups” Udemy course online – Sale ends August 28, 2012 so buy now! ***

Editor’s note: Got a question for our guest blogger? Leave a message in the comments below.

About the guest blogger: Brenda Bence is the award-winning author of four branding books including Smarter Branding Without Breaking the Bank, the definitive guide to building a brand that is big on results but low on cost. After years as a mega-brander building household name brands for consumers giants across four continents, Brenda started her own company, Brand Development Associates International (BDA). Now with offices in the U.S. and Asia, BDA serves clients across six continents and 30 countries. Brenda travels the world helping individuals and companies achieve greater success through creative yet practical brand development. Visit BrendaBence.com.

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland

Anne-Gail Moreland, an intern with Women 2.0, was on the StartupBus. She studies neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College, where she is trying to merge a passion for tech and the brain into a new wave of cognition-based technology

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