GRAPHIC DESIGNERS FROM OUR DESIGN COMMUNITY
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by: Steven Presar
[Creating a Positive Brand Image for a business' identity is
extremely important. This article explains the process of
creating a positive brand image.]
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For
any business to become truly successful, it needs to
create
positive brand recognition for its product.
This
is especially true in small businesses, where there
may be
thousands of similar companies vying for the customer's
attention. The easiest and most fruitful way to think
of a brand
is as an IMAGE that the audience remembers.
This
means that successful branding of a service or product
is a
matter of creating an image that is Positive, Relevant,
and
Memorable.
First
and foremost, you want to create an image of your product
or service (or company, for that matter) that is positive.
You
want to create an emotional association (such as happiness
or fun) with the product. According to researchers,
there are
two basic ways that you can create these associations.
The
first way is through direct experience. In this approach,
a
customer's experience with the product or service impacts
on the
way that they see it -- i.e. a positive experience means
a
positive association. This can be very important if
you are
trying to reach repeat customers.
It
is usually hard to use direct experience to brand a
product
or service using just a web site. However, remember
that a
person will often judge your company based on their
experiences
with your web site. Therefore, it is very important
that you
make their experience a favorable one -- one where they
can get
their information quickly and easily.
A
second approach to branding that can be used more easily
in a
web environment is to create indirect associations.
This can be
done in a number of ways. The words you choose to describe
your
products, the name you give them, and the graphics/pictures
that
you use on your web site can help to create an emotional
association.
The
first step is to determine what qualities you wish to
project -- do you want to focus on the reliability of
the
product, or the speed, or the money possibilities?
Once
you have made this basic, vital decision, then you need
to
look for words, descriptions, and graphics that will
project
these same qualities. If you look at the naming of car
models,
you can see some good examples of this -- A Dakota,
for
instance, creates an association of wild ruggedness,
while a
Mustang projects the image of spirit and speed.
Remember
that there are also many other factors that will also
indirectly affect how your company and product are branded.
The
way that you interact with your customers is one of
the most
important of these. Make sure that your company reflects
the
same qualities that you want to have associated with
your
product or service.
Otherwise,
you may be sending your customers conflicting
messages. For instance, the name of your product might
be
CHEETAH, but if it takes three weeks for you to respond
to
emails, your brand will probably NOT be associated with
speed!
Branding
your product or service can be a difficult process.
Often, it will take many repetitions of a message before
a brand
becomes recognized. It is therefore very important that
you put
thought into the process before you start selling your
image.
About
the author:
Steven Presar provides news and articles regarding starting
or
maintaining a small business at
http://www.Agora-Business-Center.com And works with individuals
and small business owners who would like to grow their
business
on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.Alliance-Internet-Marketing.com
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