Posted on: 24 May, 2004
Author: Dan J. Fry
"A coke and a smile!"I would be willing to bet that just about everyone ... this ... is the process by which you ... in peoples minds aname, slogan, or logo with a produc "A coke and a smile!"I would be willing to bet that just about everyone todayrecognizes this slogan.Branding is the process by which you associate in peoples minds aname, slogan, or logo with a product. Included in the associationare all of the ideologies for which your business stands for. Forinstance, suppose you own a publishing company called "The WriterWrites", with a particular type of fountain pen and paper as yourlogo. You focus all of your efforts only on resources for writerswho want to develop a strong literary style writing only aboutwhat they know as fact. Over time, your logo and name willautomatically conjure up images of a place to go to publish yourinformative writing. You have "branded" your business. The poweris now simply in the logo and name. Simply plastering your logoeverywhere you can find is advertisement enough.So, how can you brand your business?(1) Try giving away free reports and articles. Because everyoneis looking for content, and everyone will take something that isfree, you really can't lose here. Better yet, this technique isviral, meaning that your articles and reports will frequently bepassed from person to person.(2) Stick with a slogan, logo, and theme. Don't keep changingthings around. Remember, branding involves memory. You wantpeople to remember you and your site. Don't make them work forit.(3) Hold contests for free giveaways. We all live our life tosome degree on hope. By holding contest, with no stringsattached, people will flock to sign up and at the same time willbe exposed to your business name and logo.(4) Target a niche. Pay attention to what type of visitors arearriving at your site. Are they doctors, lawyers, stay at homemoms, high school students, or other online marketers? This willprovide insight into what type of brand you should strive for.The easiest way to brand your business is to narrow your field ofview and reach a very specific target that is relativelyuntouched by the competition. This way the only thing that peoplesee is you.(5) Create a new category. If you can create a new categoryaround your home based business your "brand" will be catapultedinto an advertising frenzy. The hardest thing about search enginemarketing these days is the competition. By placing yourself in acategory that is untouched you eliminate any competion, at leastfor a while. By the time the competition arrives, yourbusiness, not theirs will be lodged in peoples minds.(6) Newspaper and magazine advertisements can be used to create abrand. Each is always looking for fresh new content. If you aretruly standing out from the competition, even with just a newangle on an old product, exposure in newspapers and magazineswill really help lock your business into the minds of consumers.If making millions on the internet were really as easy as manypreach we would all be living in Tahiti drinking frozen drinksall day. The reality of the matter is that it takes time,creativity, and perseverance. Branding will not necessarilyhappen overnight. But the payoffs can be huge. At the beginningof your online ventures come up with a plan. Think big. Thinkabout how your business will grow, new markets you may be able totarget, and what you would like people to remember when they hearyour name or see your logo. Then fit all of these things in alittle at a time. Article Tags: Home Based Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com