A Survival Guide for Startups by Michelle Coe Owner Creative Director BlueSkyPhoenix, LLC

Transcription

1 Start Here A Survival Guide for Startups by Michelle Coe Owner Creative Director BlueSkyPhoenix, LLC

2 Branding What sets you apart from your competitors?

3 The idea of branding comes from the old practice of branding cattle so they could be identified as belonging to a particular rancher. Think hot iron and the Circle R Ranch. (Ouch!) No, I m not suggesting you get your logo tattooed on your body (unless you feel strongly about it.) Wikipedia defines a Brand as the name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller s product distinct from those of other sellers. Your brand is arguably the most valuable asset of your business, and it s worth investing time and money in developing yours, right from the start. After all, as Momma said, You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Branding is your opportunity to share with the world what you are offering, and why it uniquely meets the need of a group of people. You need to communicate clearly and concisely, or risk losing your prospect to the business that does. Here s a quick overview of what you need to know as you build your brand: 1. Choose the right name. Your name sets the tone & feel for your business and slants the initial conversation you have with each new prospective customer. It should be: Easy to understand and hard to forget Unique and readable (intentional misspellings are generally not a good idea) Related to and/or descriptive of your product or service 2. Define your business. Try to boil it down to the 30 second elevator pitch. Can you summarize what you do in such a way that it generates more interest? Be specific. Try to stay away from lofty, obtuse language. What do you do? Who do you do it for? What makes you so special? Be brief, yet engaging. Once you have your definition in mind, tell some people about it. If you see their eyes glaze over or roll back into their heads, you haven t engaged them. Back to the drawing board for you! Be fresh. What s that unique thing you bring that others lack? Stay away from trite, worn, overused language and make people see you in a new light. It will help set you apart from your competition. All content 2013 BlueSkyPhoenix LLC

4 D i sti l hoose Define P r a cti c e Socialize

5 Once you ve defined your business, you should be able to craft your tagline. 3. Distill your tagline. Your tagline is a great tool to help you stand apart from your competition. Again, keep it short and sweet. Take your 30 second elevator pitch and shorten it. A lot. Think Nike (Just Do It). Think Starbucks (We Proudly Serve). 4. Practice good grooming. Now that you know your name and who you are, it s time for another Momma-ism: A picture s worth a thousand words. Think about that in relation to your visual identity: your logo, your website, your print collateral New prospects are speed dating you. If your logo is some bit of clip art you snagged out of Microsoft Word, you might want to rethink that strategy. Hiring a talented, skilled professional will make the difference between your business taking off or taking a dive. That s both a promise and a warning. 5. Socialize. These days, branding is incomplete without a social media presence. Advertising is beginning to give way to socializing. Think about it on your last purchase, did you check the reviews first? I bet you did. Social media enables you to steer conversation about your brand by engaging with potential consumers in their daily space. A consistent, clear social media strategy will establish your brand, create trust, and draw others in to your circle of influence. l Thanks for letting me share this information with you. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but at least it s a start. In the coming weeks and months, you will receive free updates that will touch on these and other topics relevant to your business. Keep an eye out for them and please, if you think this information will be useful for a friend, please invite them to sign up for our updates and receive their very own copy. Was it helpful? Please let me know at info@blueskyphoenix.com. Could you use some more in-depth help with your branding? Hey, it s what I love to do. Check out my website at you can get in touch with me there, or me directly at mcoe@blueskyphoenix.com. All content 2013 BlueSkyPhoenix LLC

6 Like most creatives, we love to make stuff. But instead of dictating what your brand should look, sound, and feel like, we prefer to have you in the driver seat, while we navigate. We partner with you to develop a brand that reflects your vision for your business. How do we do that? By asking questions, and listening carefully to the answers. We prefer to cultivate a relationship that will last. When we get to know you your style, your voice, your design preferences that s when we really shine. Our happiest clients are those who have been with us the longest. That seems obvious, until you ask what makes them happy. What they tell us, is that because we know them so well, we make it easy. We ve been designing for a very long time. We ve grown to love the changes in our industry over the years. Technology has made executing a great design infinitely easier. No matter how great the changes, one thing remains: elegant design is timeless. We invite you to get in touch with us. We d love the chance to get to know you, too. BlueSkyPhoenix LLC BlueSkyPhoenix.com (540)