Aisling Hurley The Small Business Fairy SEO ConsultantOn the final programme in our special series with Claire O’Brien of Midlands 103, we talk about how to avoid brand dilution for your business. A strong brand has a value in itself ie think of Coca Cola and Louis Vuitton – brands are worth money on their own apart from the going concern of the actual business. From day 1 you should be thinking what is your business exit strategy ie is it to sell the business at some stage? If it is then you need to focus on building a brand.

How to avoid brand dilution for your businessNever underestimate the importance of branding.  It’s not just a logo, it’s what the business stands for. It really flows down through the business from the founder and it’s something that will never change. Take Rolls Royce for example, that business represents top quality products, workmanship, a high standard of care. It’s in their products and their logo – you think of the lady with the wings/cape flying in the wind – denote the ultimate ride.

 

Avoid Brand Dilution

You need to AVOID brand dilution.  To check if your business suffers from this unwittingly try the following exercise.  Open up your website, facebook & Twitter pages alongside each other in your browser window.  (Ideally do this with all the platforms you are on).

rolls royce brandingNext look at those pages as if were a potential client.  Ask yourself, “what do these pages say about your business”? Are they saying the same thing, giving out the right message? Do they use words and imagery that you want to be associated with?  There are many tools available now that are used to measure your brands interaction online.  These tools will also advise what words are associated with your business and they may  not be what you had envisaged.  So try to plan ahead and think about words and images that you are using on your business streams.

The next question to ask is “are they all similar in style”?  If not, you have a problem.  It should be clear, across all channels that this is your business and this is what you stand for.  If you are using different imagery for your banners for example then you have a big case of brand dilution.

Is your logo clearly visible?

Make sure that your logo is immediately visible on all marketing channels. The amount of businesses who do not display their logo on their Twitter and Facebook profile images is amazing.  This is a wasted marketing opportunity.  Sometimes you will see a personal picture instead of the business logo.  The important question here is “are you trying to build a personal brand or a business brand”? If it’s a business brand then use your business logo.  However if you are trying to build a personal brand, then use your own photo.

Examples of great brands

Disney Institute BrandingThink of McDonalds – wherever you go, those golden arches are recognisable, a 3 year old will know what the golden arch means (as I learned to my cost – literally!!)

Walt Disney is another brand that’s instantly recognisable.  The logo is on everything they do. They are so good at harnessing their own brand, ie customer service, that you can now attend professional development courses at the Disney Institute (disneyinstitute.com).  Terminology is another factor in your branding.  When joining the Disney Institute, they use the same terminology as they do at the resorts ie “Join the CAST of the Disney Institute”.  They’ve also even developed their own descriptive language tag “D’Think” for what they do.

Great Small Business Example

keoghs crisps brandingKeoghs Crisps is an Irish family business.  Their branding is the same on their website as it is on their Facebook and Twitter streams.  They are strong on family business and strong on farming with a family element.

They Share photos from the farm, they invite us in.  They’re telling a story which is what branding is all about.  They also share photos of people eating their crisps, and they thank people for getting in touch and buying the product.

Keoghs are building a story, which is where all great brands start from.