Don’t be scared off by all that brand talk..

A great brand can set your company apart, give you a competitive advantage and encourage loyalty from your customers and staff.

But there is so much lingo associated with brands!
Brand: equity, essence, attributes, benefits, awareness, recall ….

Small business owners can be forgiven for being confused about where all this fits with growing their business and getting leads in the door.

The most important thing to realise is that the brand is much more than a logo. Brand is:

- the complete look and feel of all your company' communications material
- how customers think and feel when they hear your company's name, or see your company's advertising
- what customers, staff and other stakeholders expect of your company…and say about it
- what you promise the market, how you position your product and services
- about the way you run and communicate about your company
- in the integrity and consistency in all of your company's dealings.
- about growing your business and getting leads in the door

Brand is something marketers go to University to study, but as a small business owner, you don't have time to head back to school. What you do need is a basic understanding of brand so you can start applying the principles to your business.

Virgin, QANTAS, Bonds, Volvo, IBM, Bunnings, Nudie. Very different companies, yet all sit well in the same sentence because of their strong brands.

Virgin and QANTAS are in the same industry, they provide people with flights. Yet how you think about each company will vary widely. Maybe you think:

QANTAS: Australian, safe, trustworthy, stable, more expensive
Virgin: Economical, People's Champion, fresh, maverick, Richard Branson

Both of these companies have spent millions of dollars getting you to think this way. But just because you don't have millions to spend, doesn't mean you can ignore developing your brand.

The strength of a brand for a small business can be increased with some simple actions:
- Define who you are talking to, really get to know their needs and wants
- Match your products and services to the people you want to sell to
- Define what they are looking for and where they look for it
- Make sure your products and services can be found where they are looking!

Your business and your brand are the same thing, so focusing on your brand helps focus the direction of the business.

Take a look at what focusing on brand meant to this Sydney based operation.

Andrew Campbell planned to start a small business in an area he loved - boating.

He researched the industry, seeing a huge gap in the Sydney market for a professional boat care and management operation. He wanted to differentiate his company and be the best. So he ticked off practically every step in the process of creating a strong brand…even though at the time he was just a one man operation:

1. Company Name: Rather than Andrew's Detailing, the new venture was named "My Boatie". The name gave customers an idea of the personal service they could expect.
2. Company Conviction: The tag line: "Consider it done…well!" is fundamental to the way the company operates. Whether it be polishing a hull, teaching a new owner how to moor safely, or testing batteries prior to a client taking their vessel out.
3. Company Colours: My Boatie differentiated itself from other operators by choosing not to go with marine blues and whites, but a vivid orange and blue.
4. Company Uniform: Boats are million dollar investments for their owners, but many of the workers Andrew saw on them looked scruffy. He invested in a professional uniform for his team, even though it stretched his budget.
5. Company Website: The website reflected the professional attitude of the company
6. Company Employees: Andrew's expectations of himself and his staff were high
7. Company Conscious: My Boatie was one of the first company's to move to water saving devices, even though they added to the expense of operating the business
8. Company Vehicles: Andrew bought a second-hand van and fitted it out as a mobile office, storeroom and billboard. The sign-writing was a big outlay, but the professional look supported the brand and brought in more business.
9. Company Advertising: The company does limited traditional advertising, but when it does advertise, it maintains the same look and feel.
10. Miscellaneous: Everything from the way the phone is answered to the way the company deals with client feedback feeds back into the My Boatie brand.

A few customers have said when they think of My Boatie that they just feel a sense of trust. The company now operates in Sydney and Melbourne with further expansion on the horizon. The strong branding had an impact when Macquarie Leisure Trust invested in the company earlier this year.

So, brand is not just advertising and the way you communicate about your business, but it's the way customers actually feel about it based on the way you are running it, and in comparison to your competitors.

Getting your brand right or reinvigorating a stale one can set your business on the path to success. Start focusing on it now, and if you are juggling too many hats, find a good partner to manage it for you!

Jane Toohey, Director of Marketing Angels

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