Marketing Your Brand

One of the biggest problems that business owners and founders alike face when starting their business or organization is finding a way to make and market their brand. Paul Esajian of Fortunebuilders.com discussed how one of the biggest obstacles for businesses is forgetting one’s brand identity and losing integrity (2020). One of the ways he offers to combat this is by staying true to the brand’s vision and remembering that “how you do anything is how you do everything.” (2020)

But how does one build a brand? An important idea to keep in mind comes from Kathyn Wheeler’s 2020 Hubspot article How to Develop a Unique (& Memorable) Brand Identity In 2020. In it, Wheeler cites how Jeff Bezos establishes a brand identity as ‘what people say about you when you’re not in the room’ (2020). When developing a brand, it is important to remember that the branding does much more than just establish the name of the business. When one eventually establishes marketing practices to build their businesses’ prowess, that branding ends up becoming a key indicator from outside sources that determine whether or not they want to do business or partner with that specific business.

On a personal level, I am currently going through this current process with myself and my fellow co-founders. One of the initial plans we had when establishing our business was to use the term “Cracked” in our business name, since it is a trending term in the industry. However, since we noted that different individuals could interpret that word in a different connotation if they are not aware of that trend, it would be better to move on to a different name.

Each decision business owners make when creating their business and branding is key, as it can make or break their initial stage successes. One of the aspects Wheeler builds on is the notion that a brand also establishes trust and credibility through name and brand recognition, meaning that your initial branding can end up hindering or progressing your marketing progress as it advances in the future (2020).

Business owners and potential founders must do their research and determine how their proposed branding would fit in to the current market/industry, and how the general public will perceive their ideas. This can be done through focus groups, surveys, or any combination or creative idea. At the end of the day, the success of the business rides immediately on the first steps taken, as initial and effective branding can not only establish immediate rapport and credibility, but also provide a backdrop that allows for owners to consistently and constantly improve and grow their business.

References:
Esajian, P. (2020, July 12). 9 Ways To Overcome Your Business’s Biggest Obstacles. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://www.fortunebuilders.com/9-ways-to-overcome-your-businesss-biggest-obstacles/
Wheeler, K. (2020, September 2). How to Develop a Unique (& Memorable) Brand Identity in 2020. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://blog.hubspot.com/agency/develop-brand-identity