5. Don’t put your brand in unnecessary competitions.

Don’t get me wrong, competition is a great tool to develop any business, but it must be strategic and aligned with where you are heading. Have you ever seen McDonald’s picking a fight with Sprint? No, you haven’t. If you are going to compete with another business, make sure it’s someone you envision yourself as down the road.

My business partner and I strive to not be in competition with other small businesses. We have a global brand, so we look for Goliaths to pick fights with. Find your Goliath.

6. Build the brand you need before the one you want.

The only thing that has more wants than needs is a Christmas list. When you are branding your business, you have to think about your immediate needs before your wants. Let’s say you need an appealing logo and business cards, but you want promotional pens, instead. Pens are great to further your brand, but they’re not as necessary as the logo and cards.

7. Take you out of your brand.

Unless you have a legion of followers who want to do everything that you do, you really shouldn’t focus on making your brand all about you. While it’s important to brand yourself, remember to separate your personal brand from your business brand.

Closing Thoughts on Branding

Be sure to build a brand that attracts your target market. After that, a secondary market that you hadn’t even considered might appear.

Branding is a foundational tool that must be used in the initial onset of starting your business. Unfortunately, too many businesses think about branding after they have garnered success, or failed to build results from customers. When you start branding your business, you have to remember that it is a necessity.

Branding is not an option if you are seeking longevity. Take a look around you at the popular brands that you support day-to-day. Keeping these brands in mind, start building your own brand now.

Connect with The BLI Group on Twitter.

Ivy N. McQuain is author of the book, Get Your Head Out of the Clouds, This is Business. She is also a co-managing partner of The BLI Group, a multimedia branding services firm. She has her BS in Marketing, along with an MBA and MPA. She started her first business at the age of 19, while in college, and hasn’t looked back since.

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