If you’re looking to create an eCommerce business, you’ll need to do one very important thing before you do anything else: create a brand. It’s what makes you recognizable in a sea of competitors, and if you do it right, it’s what showcases your reliability and success in any given niche.
Without a brand, you can expect your product or service to get lost in the fray of everyone trying to make money doing the same thing.
What Is a Brand?
When branding is mentioned, you think of some of the top companies out there. Let’s take Lululemon, for example. Most people know this household name and immediately associate it with its most popular product: leggings. There’s nothing fancy about its logo, it’s actually quite simple. But the brand itself is immediately recognizable.
Another one you immediately recognize — this time by its logo — is Nike. The famous swoop mark leaves no mistake as to who the manufacturer is. You’ll even know a Nike product by its trademark motto: “just do it.”
Elements of a Great Brand
Keeping these two very popular brands in mind, this degree of recognition is what you want to strive for. As one of the keys to success in eCommerce’s coming years, your branding needs to be a distinct measure that sets you apart. It can include all and/or some of the following:
- Name
- Design
- Symbol
- Term
- Phrase
Catchy is your friend here, because the catchier a design or phrase is, the higher the likelihood it’ll stick in someone’s memory, and that’s what you want.
How Do You Go About Branding?
There are several ways to brand your company, and it all depends on the type of product or service you offer. Here are a few areas to touch on that go beyond your logo and color scheme:
- Packaging Design — Packaging is what initially draws consumers in, especially in a retail setting when situated on a shelf with dozens of other brands offering the same products. Your packaging should be eye-catching, with a cohesive logo or color scheme. Leave no doubt that the product is yours and protect your branding with all you have (more on this a little later).
- Advertising — With any company, word of mouth is what you need to gain customers or clients. However, in the beginning, word of mouth solely comes from you — in the form of advertising. Today’s advertising is a bit different than years past. Social media is a must and if you can find an influencer, you’ll be able to reach thousands of people daily. Instagram and Facebook are the two most popular social media sites but Twitter and Snapchat are also beneficial if you know how to use them.
- Customer Experience — The customer experience is very important when it comes to branding. Your policies — return and marketing included — should reflect your brand and how you want your customers to perceive you. Negative experiences with service personnel, for example, will only reflect your company and its offerings in a negative light. Make sure all hires are fully versed in how to handle situations in a matter that positively reflects your brand.
Some people hire an in-house branding expert, who often takes over marketing and communications as well. Others outsource this task to reputable agencies who can take their vision and bring it to life. When you’re looking to hire an agency, it’s important that you ensure your visions are clearly communicated and are aligned with your team. One other important note when outsourcing, you should always have an out in any contract in case the work doesn’t meet your standards.
Protecting Your Branding
It’s not enough to come up with catchy branding, it’s also essential to protect it. Look at the aforementioned companies, you’ll notice they have trademarks and diligently enforce them to ensure nobody profits off their hard work.
A trademark works for both a catch-phrase and brand name. For a logo, you’ll want to want to add copyright protection, too. The logo will have to meet specific criteria to qualify, and an intellectual property lawyer is recommended to ensure all forms are filed properly. The last thing you need is incorrect or incomplete paperwork hindering your attempts to safeguard your hard work.
Once you’ve got the trademark and/or copyright in place, you can pursue anyone who attempts to use your brand or similar designs to cause confusion. Be diligent, because your trademark becomes useless if you do not stop others from using it for their gain.
Now that you know how important branding is, make it your priority in business. Get your logo or company catch-phrase or distinctive mark squared away and you’ll be one step closer to success.