When Should You Create Your Online Business Brand?

Should you begin your online business with a brand in mind or should you wait and then create a brand later? In this article I am going to show you the best time to create a brand for your own business.

The Risk Of Creating A Brand At The Start

Many marketers will suggest that if you can start your business and create a brand straight away then you are far better equipped to attract customers and develop customer loyalty.

We all know that having some sort of brand or brand values does help with customer loyalty. Therefore it seems to make sense that creating your brand up front will increase your customer retention from the very start.

And that is of course appealing!

However, what I have found and I know I am not the only one, is that when you first build your online business things develop and change over time.

For example, you may discover that you are attracting certain customers with specific needs that initially you hadn't considered would play such a major part in your services or products.

Customer Communication Develops Your Brand

As you begin to listen to your customers and you get a real glimpse of the issues and difficulties that you are being able to solve for them, then you have a fantastic opportunity to use that for your brand message.

Branding must state something about your business. It must send a message to your prospects about what to expect.

Therefore until you understand exactly what it is your customers value from you, then it is hit and miss as to whether you get the ideal branding specific to you.

Effective Branding Happens Along The Journey

If it takes you 6 months before you fully appreciate what your brand message is then that time is not wasted. It is better to wait and get the right message and brand that truly reflects what you and your business is about than to create one at the start and then realise later that you could have done a better job with a different slant or angle.

Businesses Aren't Instant - They Grow

Your online business will grow over time. You don't wake up one morning and everything is in place and ready to go!

You can't possibly know at the start how your business will stand out from the crowd. You should certainly have ideas and implement them but it is not until you start seeing results and getting feedback that you really know what is making the difference. Then you can use that evidence to create your brand.

By the way did you know that you could be developing a far more effective brand message if you were selling your own information products?

And it's quick and easy if you know how, so download my brand new free eBook and you can start Creating High Quality Products Fast

Kay Franklin

Information Marketing Action Taker

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

3 Benefits Of Having A Brand For Your Online Business

Any business benefits from having a brand and an online business is no different. Here are 3 reasons why you need to develop your own brand if you want to market your online business more effectively.

Brand Loyalty

Think about a particular brand that you like. When the time comes for you to purchase something again if your preferred brand offers it then you are far more likely to purchase from them than anyone else.

We are creatures of habit and brand loyalty is a type of habit that we easily get drawn into.

If you can create an image or logo attached your own business then it will stick in your customers mind.

Your brand speaks about your mission or message and what people can expect from you and your products.

Therefore every time someone sees your branding the right message is conveyed.

Familiarity

Another advantage about creating a brand for your business is that when an image or quote is seen enough times it becomes familiar. When things are familiar to us we naturally feel more confident and comfortable about interacting and spending money with that particular company or person.

We immediately feel a connection.

Of course it is important to make sure that the connection we create with our brand is a positive one! So customer service and product quality are a must.

Online Presence

Using the internet to market your business is a great way to use branding. Banners and logos are easily designed and can be attached to all of your online activities.

The use of a gravatar makes it very easy to have a standard picture or photo that automatically connects with your business. You might use your own photo or you could use your brand image.

What Type Of Branding Should I Create?

The big question is what kind of brand image or logo or quote would be a match for your online business.

In order to design your brand you really need to have a good idea of what it is you offer and what is unique about it. What are the benefits to customers if they do business with you rather than someone else?

This is the kind of message that you need your branding to convey. If you can incorporate that message into your logo or website header then you have a real winner.

The important point is that you need to reinforce your brand message and values everywhere whether it means using logos, quote or images on all of your activity and correspondence.

By the way did you know that you could be making a whole lot more money if you were selling your own information products?

And it's quick and easy if you know how, so download my brand new free eBook and you can start Creating High Quality Products Fast

Kay Franklin

Information Marketing Action Taker

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin