How to brand your home based web business?

By Dan J. Fry
Posted Saturday, December 11, 2004

"A coke and a smile!"

I would be willing to bet that just about everyone today recognizes this slogan.

Branding is the process by which you associate in peoples minds a name, slogan, or logo with a product. Included in the association are all of the ideologies for which your business stands for. For instance, suppose you own a publishing company called "The Writer Writes", with a particular type of fountain pen and paper as your logo. You focus all of your efforts only on resources for writers who want to develop a strong literary style writing only about what they know as fact. Over time, your logo and name will automatically conjure up images of a place to go to publish your informative writing. You have "branded" your business. The power is now simply in the logo and name. Simply plastering your logo everywhere you can find is advertisement enough.

So, how can you brand your business?

(1) Try giving away free reports and articles. Because everyone is looking for content, and everyone will take something that is free, you really can't lose here. Better yet, this technique is viral, meaning that your articles and reports will frequently be passed from person to person.

(2) Stick with a slogan, logo, and theme. Don't keep changing things around. Remember, branding involves memory. You want people to remember you and your site. Don't make them work for it.

(3) Hold contests for free giveaways. We all live our life to some degree on hope. By holding contest, with no strings attached, people will flock to sign up and at the same time will be exposed to your business name and logo.

(4) Target a niche. Pay attention to what type of visitors are arriving at your site. Are they doctors, lawyers, stay at home moms, high school students, or other online marketers? This will provide insight into what type of brand you should strive for. The easiest way to brand your business is to narrow your field of view and reach a very specific target that is relatively untouched by the competition. This way the only thing that people see is you.

(5) Create a new category. If you can create a new category around your home based business your "brand" will be catapulted into an advertising frenzy. The hardest thing about search engine marketing these days is the competition. By placing yourself in a category that is untouched you eliminate any competion, at least for a while. By the time the competition arrives, your business, not theirs will be lodged in peoples minds.

(6) Newspaper and magazine advertisements can be used to create a brand. Each is always looking for fresh new content. If you are truly standing out from the competition, even with just a new angle on an old product, exposure in newspapers and magazines will really help lock your business into the minds of consumers.

If making millions on the internet were really as easy as many preach we would all be living in Tahiti drinking frozen drinks all day. The reality of the matter is that it takes time, creativity, and perseverance. Branding will not necessarily happen overnight. But the payoffs can be huge. At the beginning of your online ventures come up with a plan. Think big. Think about how your business will grow, new markets you may be able to target, and what you would like people to remember when they hear your name or see your logo. Then fit all of these things in a little at a time.

About the Author
Dan J. Fry is an independent researcher and owner of e-Kinetic.com, a site devoted to providing resources for small budget home businesses. He has a PhD in Physics and is married with two daughters and two cats. Subscribe to his free E-Zine on home business resources at mailto:e-kinetic@GetResponse.com or by visiting his Infopreneur Home Based Business Resources and Tips site. He can be reached at mailto:comp@e-kinetic.com .