If you run a small business, branding is going to be your best friend. It allows you to build a great reputation without spending huge advertising dollars and will stand you in good stead, far longer than a glossy one page in a magazine.

So, what are the characteristics of a successful brand? Let`s take a look:

• Gives back to the client. People remember when you do something extra for them or provide exceptional value.
• Represents a solid fact. Rather than basing your brand on something that changes frequently, base it on something solid, a quality you can uphold long term.
• Is positioned to always be on the customer`s mind. When done right, branding will be positioned so that people think of it when they need your type of product or service.
• Is consistent. Don`t constantly change your angle or your tag line . . . it will confuse people and water the brand down.

Branding your business is the best thing you can do, but you do need to make sure that you take the time to do it right, or you`ll only have a lot of wasted time and money on your hands.

Taking business too seriously could be your downfall. If you`re a small business owner, branding is a big deal and should be a priority in building your business. However, too many small business owners forget to enjoy themselves and have a little fun with branding.

Branding your business is basically getting your name and concept out there. You want people to remember you and while handing out business cards and placing ads will certain move you toward that goal, sometimes it`s the not-so-serious things that catch people`s attention.

For example, I once knew a man who had a software company. When the company released a new beta version of their software, rather than simply send it out with the standard paperwork, each box had a chocolate ladybug attached to it and a little note that read “This is a beta version, please let us know if you find any bugs.” A very simple concept, but you can bet the recipients of those cute chocolate bugs remembered him!

There are many ways to get your message out there while having fun. Whether you do something big, like offer a free circus or keep it small with something like a mime who hands out pop-out business cards, the idea is to get people to remember you. Make them chuckle or even laugh out loud and you`ll have them hooked on your brand for life.

Should your blog theme and website design match? From a branding perspective the obvious answer is Yes. But that may not always be the best answer. I think it really depends on the purpose for your blog.

I’d say that any blog that exists on the same domain name as your website should have the same design theme. It acts as an extension of your website. But a blog that is on a separate domain name may be something else entirely different. It may or may not have the same design theme depending on its purpose. But when?

Ultimately, only you can answer that question, but here are a few helpful tips that might help you decide:

• If the primary purpose is to promote your website then you can make the design the same as your website’s
• If the content is similar in nature then give them a similar design
• If it is the only blog you have and its purpose is to drive traffic to your website
• If the brand is important enough that you want your blog visitors and your site visitors to see the connection
• If the blog is product-based and you want to ensure that the product is connected with your company name

There may be other reasons to give your blog the same design as your website, but these are the most basic reasons that I can think of. Think long and hard before you start a blog with a different theme than your website. Blue Chip Marketing Tips is its own brand, a separate brand, from Melberg Marketing even though I use this blog to promote the latter. The content is similar to the website and many of my readers know the two are connected, though it isn’t absolutely essential that readers know this. I’m using BCM as a branding tool on its own. That’s an editorial decision and it’s worked well for me. Will it work for you?

When you’re ready to build your website you’ll need to pick a good domain name. There are several ways to do this:

• You can pick a keyword-based domain name
• Go for the branding effect - ie. Small Business Mavericks
• Combine the two approaches and brand a keyword-based domain name

Obviously, the best approach is No. 3, but you can be successful with the other two as well. Choose whether having your keyword in your domain name is important or not. Keep in mind that if you opt for the branding effect over keyword-based then you might have some initial struggles in seeing your website ranked, but it is possible to do it with the branded site name. Still, you shouldn’t do either until you do your keyword research.

The reason you want to do your keyword research first is to outline the possibilities. You want to see what keywords are the most popular and most profitable from a search point of view. After you’ve done and looked at your competition then you can start thinking about your name - but you’ll also want to define your business little bit first. What is your niche? Do you have a niche within a niche? Are you targeting a specific demographic? Know as much about your business as you can before you start.

Next, you’ll want to make a list of potential domain names. After you’ve come up with names, search whois to find out if they are taken. If not, snatch up the one you want as quickly as possible because some people watch to see what is being searched for then buy up the ones with the most potential. You could stand to lose your domain name if it’s sales-worthy.

If any of this seems confusing or you need a little help along the way, just contact Melberg Marketing for the right domain name guidance.

It is customary online when engaging in social media to upload a photo or image that accompanies your conversational pieces. These images are called avatars.

Forums use them. Blogs use them. Social networking sites use them. Social bookmarking sites use them. Microblogging sites use them. Just about everywhere you go you will encounter an avatar. Some people simply use a photo while others use a cartoon character or animated .gif. Some people use a cropped company logo or the entire logo itself. Does it really matter?

I think your avatar makes a big difference. You are communicating something very important about yourself and your business with your avatar. For instance, if your avatar is a picture of Cindarella, wouldn’t that say something, as opposed to a picture of Darth Vader? For some businesses, Darth Vader may be the appropriate avatar. But is it appropriate for you?

It will behoove you to think deeply about your avatar. It doesn’t necessarily need to be your own photo, although it can be. A photo says “I’m accessible.” It’s personal. But you also give up a little bit of a privacy if you use your own photo. That’s a decision you’ll have to weigh heavily.

On the other hand, a company logo says “I’m all business.” It can come off as off-putting if you manage personal relationships through your networking accounts. Then again, you are marketing your business and that’s the point, right?

What about cartoon characters or famous celebrities? I’ve seen people use images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. I’ve seen other celebrities too - James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Alf. What image do you conjure when you think of those celebrities? Is that the image you want people to think about when they see your avatar? Remember, whatever they think about your avatar is what they’ll think about you.

Your avatar is your brand. Just as you would put careful thought into your company logo and website header, you need to think about your avatar and what you want it to communicate to your prospects, business partners, and customers online.

If this survey is correct then your small business could be in jeopardy.

In addition, PayPoint found that among 1000 consumers, just 3 percent of online shoppers are likely to trust a small online business with their money, preferring to shop with larger online brands. A further 81 percent say they have doubt about the security credentials of small, unknown companies.

In order to be taken seriously by your prospect customers, you’ve got to convince them that they can trust you. How do you do that? One way is to make it appear as if you are larger than you are. It is difficult to succeed online if you look like a small business.

Keep in mind that this is true of online-only businesses. If you are a local business with an internet presence and you are targeting local consumers to drive them to your brick-and-mortar store then your strategy will be slightly different. But if you are an online-only business and you are targeting consumers globally, it makes sense to spend time branding your company and appearing larger. How do you do that?

Here are some ways you can make yourself look bigger than you are:

• Make your URL a keyword-targeted brand
• Have a customer service number where people can call you and answer the phone in a professional manner using your business name and personal name with a “How may I help you” greeting
• Include an online chat feature
• Go to great pains to ensure your customers that you provide security for their private information

People like doing business with people so keep it personal. But they want the security of doing business with a large company so be professional. There is still some skepticism about doing business online. Alleviate people’s fears as much as possible.

Today’s post is a great example of two things that I talk about often:

1. An example of where to find ideas for your blog posts
2. Why it’s crucial that you know what makes your business unique

Where to find blog post ideas
Whenever I talk about blogging, invariably people will ask me, “where do you get the ideas for things to blog about?” One of my favorite ways is by reading articles, newspapers, books - anything basically - that pertain to my blog’s topic and then using content I find within those sources within my blogs. It’s not real often that I read an actual print newspaper (it’s usually online), but I was waiting for an appointment last week and I happened to pick up the Variety section of my local paper. Usually I don’t get blog ideas from the cartoon section of the paper, but today’s post shows that good blog ideas can come from just about anywhere!

Why it’s crucial that you know what makes your business unique

With full credit to Stephan Pastis and his Pearls Before Swine cartoon, I had to share this with you. It makes a great case for understanding what sets your business apart from your competitors - what makes it unique and different. If there are a dozen travel agencies in your town, and you plan to open another one, then you’d better offer something unique and different that those other 12 companies don’t offer - or, offer a similar service in a unique and different way.

Research shows that over 65% of all businesses cannot articulate their unique, competitive point(s) of differentiation. I know from my own experience working with my clients that this is one of the areas they struggle with the most — think of the opportunity you have as a business to set yourself apart from your competitors, just by figuring out how to state what makes you different ! Just by doing that, you will be ahead of 65% of your competitors - especially online where you have just 8 seconds to capture your prospect’s attention when they land on your website and convince them you have what they are looking for.

Branding … cowboys do it. Mavericks do it, too. Why shouldn’t you?

Walt Goshert at The Marketing Caddy recently made a great blog post on this subject. While much of his post repeated and quoted from a post at the Small Business Mavericks blog, it just goes to show that if something is done right then more than one person will agree that it’s the best way to do it. That’s why I’d like to send some link love Walt’s way - to let him know that his thoughts on branding and my thoughts on branding are like bucket seats in a sports car.

Walt reminds his readers to spend some time thinking about their USP (Unique Selling Proposition) before starting off on their branding adventure. I’d have to agree with that. You’ve got to think about what makes you different. What sets you apart from the competition? If you don’t know that then you will likely not be able to convince your customers that you can help them. Simply saying “Great Customer Service” isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to think of something that is going to convince people that you are unique and the best person for their needs. Then you should put that USP into your tagline, which was my first suggestion on creating an effective brand.

Branding is one of the most important parts of doing business - online and off line. Great minds like Walt Goshert’s understand that. And that’s why it’s necessary to repeat it.

Branding your small business is a vital process, yet many small business owners have no idea of how to go about it. Really, branding is the process of creating a business that will be recognized as THE place to go for the services and products that you provide. There are many ways to go about branding your small business, but some methods are more obvious and effective than others.

1. Participate in events. Every community has events, fairs, block parties, etc. Make sure you get in on everything that you can and display your logo proudly. You might want to donate tents or chairs with your logo for use at an event, or hand out freebies with your business info on them. Everything helps!
2. Set up a website. Whether you like it or not, these days it´s necessary to have a website for your business. Make sure that you keep the information on it up to date and that you add new content from time to time. Your website should be done in your business colors for continuity.
3. Make all contact high quality. Just talking to people has a huge impact on your brand and is something that you should really focus on. Being friendly and helpful will help you grow your business and if you have any employees, this should be conveyed to them as well.

Branding for your small business needs to be an ongoing project. Be friendly to everyone you meet, maintain a consistent front and you will find that your brand improves constantly.

There´s really no reason why branding can´t be an exercise in fun. Most business related tasks are quite dull, but you´ll find that you have far more success if you take things a little less seriously. Not only will you be more interested in doing the work, so will your employees and your clients will benefit.

• Use fun branding items. Instead of typical pens, get banana shaped ones or pens made from twigs, with your business name woodburned on the side.

• Have a party. Everyone loves a party. Whether it´s your grand opening or anniversary or just a day you decide to celebrate, make it fun and invite everyone!

• Offer a fun way to reward your customers. Punch out cards are a great way to give something back to your loyal customers. When the card is full, they get a freebie.

Have fun with your branding. There is really nothing better for drawing attention than a great time!