When it comes to branding when is the best time to actually establish your brand? Is it in the beginning of year one as some and most might say or is it year five after you have actually figured out who buys from you. Also what it actually means to your consumer to “say I trust this company and you should too”. Let’s take a step back and allow me to help you come to your conclusion on this matter by breaking down what makes a strong brand.
Customer service: Yes, this is actually number one and I’ll explain why Businesses are run on systems and systems that have to work or they will affect the bottom-line right? So you have a great product and service that would benefit anyone and you believe in it. You have now invested your faith and resources into your company hoping it will make you a living and support your life style. You have done all the numbers and you have even the best sales people out making it happen and now comes time for your client to call in or submit orders and your customer service is a bit lacking in “Customer Service” and all of a sudden the sales process stops because a phone went unanswered and an email went unopened.
Design: Design is how a product works, how it looks, how it feels. It’s function and aesthetic. This is the same for services not just products how you present your service can have a huge impact on the perspective of how the world thinks you will perform for them.
Innovational Thinking: “Innovate faster than they can copy” -Ray Kroc. Your business is your business other may be in the same industry but how you do business is an entirely different than the way others do. Focus on what makes you great and let the sounds of similarities fade away
So is it best to brand early or wait until you are defined my answer is, branding is a journey it never stops its not how you start but the impact you make along the way.
(Rasheed Louis)