By
James Roché

Branding is one of those marketing tools that people spend too much
unnecessary time splitting hairs over. In most cases you can find
your brand in 30 seconds or less by answering one simple question.

I know this will upset some people so let me make it clear that I’m
talking to small business owners and entrepreneurs…not large
corporations. Branding is one of those marketing tools that’s
waived in front of new entrepreneurs as THE most important thing they
need right now. I strongly disagree…

The Myth about Branding

Branding is sold as the saving life jacket for entrepreneurs but that’s a
myth. It’s one of many tools…and not the most important.

I saw the myth in full force last week at a business seminar here in
South Florida. I stood at the side of the room and watched 87 eager
entrepreneurs being hypnotized by an expert on branding. The speaker
was sincere and intelligent…it’s just that the audience wasn’t
at the point in their business where they needed branding. They
needed clients!

But the speaker showed one commercial after another of Gap, Apple,
IBM…all showing the importance of branding. Everyone lapped it all
in…and completely missed the elephant in the room…

These were new entrepreneurs -- NOT multi-billion dollar companies with
millions to spend on branding. Why would they even THINK about logos
and branding when most of them were still figuring out who their
target market was?

Your Logo Won’t Make You Money

Stop spending thousands of dollars hair-splitting about the color of your
logo! Spend your time developing a headline that converts prospects
to leads and leads to clients. Spend your money becoming an expert in
your industry. Spend your time POSITIONING yourself as the expert
your target market wants to hire…because THESE efforts will
translate to money in the bank.

I remember I spoke at an event last winter about the power of knowing
your target market, writing a winning headline, and converting leads
to clients.

Seconds after I finished speaking a woman rushed up to me with a piece of
paper in her hand and an eager look in her eye, “Will you look at
my logo please?”

I held back the temptation to roll my eyes… “Sure!” I said.

She was a coach and trainer that taught success principles. Her logo was
clean –easy to read - nice font, nice color…but right next to her
company name was a huge picture of a seashell!

I immediately asked, “What’s up with the seashell!?”

She said, “Oh that’s a symbol of the Greek mythology about [blah,
blah, blah] and it related to my astrological sign because [blah,
blah, blah]…”

“Loose the seashell,” I said before she could finish. I put my hand on her
shoulder and softened my voice to break the news, “Nobody but you
cares…besides the seashell won’t make you money.”

Think Positioning - Not Branding

The position you hold in the minds of your target market is more
important than your logo color. If you are known as an expert in your
field, then who cares what font you use? People will work with you
because you’ve proven that you can solve their problems...and
THAT’S what people really care about.

Sure, you may want to invest in a branding makeover at some point…but
it’s just not necessary while you’re building the foundation of
your business. Once your practice is flooded with clients and there’s
plenty of cash in the bank, then go ahead and get that professional
polish. But in the beginning, focus your efforts on establishing your
position in the market place.

Two Steps to Create Your Brand in 30 Seconds or Less

Step 1 - Your position in the market place starts with your name (Not your
company name – just the name that everyone already calls you by.)
Simple. In the beginning, your name is your brand.

Step 2 – You also want to create an identity…you want to position
yourself in the minds of your target market. This is very easy to do.
Think of what you want to be known as. To do this takes less than 30
seconds…

Simply answer this simple question: “If someone knows of you but can’t
remember your name, what do they type into Google to find you?”

Whatever they type in…THAT’S what you want to be known as. Build your
positioning around that word or phrase. The keyword or phrase your
target market thinks of when they think of you is your brand.

That word or phrase will be obvious and simple. Avoid trying to be clever.
Once you know that word or phrase, leverage it in your marketing
message. For example, I’m “The Info Product Guy.” Ali Brown is
“The eZine Queen.” Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is “Red Hot Copy”
(She’s a redhead who writes great copy.)

It’s that simple. Sit back right now and ask yourself what your target
market would type into Google to find you if they don’t remember
your name.

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