There are many ways to gain traction for your business in terms of marketing but none are more important that some solid branding.

In my opinion branding should be positioned at the base of your business’s marketing strategy from day one. It’s far easier and more efficient to develop good branding during the inception of your business rather than working it in long after you’ve launched.

Like bread and butter, branding and marketing go hand in hand, and should always come in that order.

Branding and Marketing: Learning from the Best

There are very few markets these days that don’t have a good degree of healthy competition for available customers and clients. Online data storage is a prime example. Dropbox, Box.net and Google Drive all perform a similar function for the end user. With each of the services listed above you can store files, videos, pictures and documents online rather than on your own hard drive. Dropbox still controls the lion’s share of the available market due to it’s superior branding and marketing.

Dropbox offers their clients a freemium account with 2 gigabytes of storage. Their competitors offers similar deals, likewise for free. Dropbox also allows users to buy additional storage space for your files, as do the competition. Virtually every aspect of their business model, including marketing strategies, are copied and duplicated by the other businesses in the online data storage market.

We know that Dropbox stays on top thanks to good branding.

Kleenex is an even better example. There are countless brands of facial tissue looking for sales but Kleenex has become so synonymous with facial tissue it’s become the term most used when people need some nasal relief. Even when people pull tissues from another brands box 9 times out of 10 they refer to them as Kleenex.

That’s good branding. They’ve entrenched their brand in the consumer’s mind so firmly that their brand name trumps and replaces the generic name of the product.

Using a branding and marketing plan that is as effective as Kleenex’s may be a long time coming, but it’s a prime example that implementing a solid branding plan from the start can help push your business to the top of your respective market.

Top Branding Tips

Want to know how to build a good branding and marketing plan from day one? Read our top tips below and get your business front in center in your potential customer’s mind:

• Develop the Best Name for Your Business: Good branding starts with the right business name. Your business name should deliver some personality while telling people exactly what you do/sell in one or two simple words.
• Develop a Logo That Pops: Similarly to choosing the right name for your business your logo should not only catch the eye of the consumer but be used as a visual reminder of your business. Each time a customer views it they should be reminded of your most recent marketing materials. Case in point is Pepsi’s logo. Even without the word Pepsi in the center everyone immediately recognizes the blue and red half-circles swirling together.
• Choose a Value Proposition That Explains What You Do: Having a one or two sentence explanation of what you do allows your audience to quickly choose if they have interest. If they want to know more you’ll be able to dive into a more detailed sales pitch that delivers customers and sales, all thanks to good branding and marketing from day one.