Building brands in unlikely places
Free or inexpensive business builders for 2010

Your entire business is a brand and every piece of correspondence must reinforce that brand. Aim for consistency and repetition of your brand identity no matter where your company name appears

Here are eight areas where your branding may inadvertently fall short and what you can do about it with little or no expense.

Use a Web domain name in your e-mail address
Every business should have a Web site by now. Be sure your domain name appears as part of your e-mail address, such as “employee.name@yourcompanyname.com.” Require your employees to use these official e-mail addresses rather than generic e-mail addresses from Gmail or, worse, AOL. If, for some reason, you don’t have a Web site, you can still reserve a domain name and use it for e-mail. If your employees are using their own e-mail addresses from home, give them access to your domain via the Web. Most Web hosts provide Web-based e-mail for free. You’ll not only reinforce your brand, but look far more professional.

Use an e-mail signature
With most communication taking place electronically, be sure your brand name, logo and slogan appears in each e-mail you send. Be sure this “signature” is consistent with the branding of your company in terms of colors, fonts, messages, etc. E-mail can also be formatted to look like your letterhead or contain a representation of your business card.

Signage and vehicle graphics
Make sure your buildings and vehicles employ the company name the customer recognizes. This is especially important if your company is comprised of a number of divisions or subsidiaries. If you make house calls, business and residential neighbors will also be reminded of the correct name in case they need similar services. The fact that a neighbor is using your company, you will reap perceived testimonial value.

Return envelopes
While generic imprinting of your company name on envelopes — especially oversized ones — is less expensive, your brand and all of the goodwill it represents may be sacrificed. Some companies use generic envelopes for use with bill paying or vendor correspondence, but some of the many hands your envelopes pass through may be those of valuable prospects.

Fax covers
You are missing potential prospects or confusing existing clients if you use generic fax covers or Post-it type add-ons. Use a fresh laser printer copy or pre-printed form each time to ensure your logo doesn’t become distorted or unreadable. Make sure you use a specifically designed black and white version of your logo since color can not be reproduced by fax machines.

Checks, order forms, invoices and statements
Again, these are areas often overlooked in the branding process. Many times those responsible for marketing are not even aware of clerical supplies being used, but they should be. In most cases, it costs no more to add your logo and identity information to these pieces. Generic forms harm your professional standing and may confuse customers

Name tags
If your employees attend business networking events, etc., make sure to provide your own custom name tags with your logo. Your company will stand out and become recognizable to those who may want to do business. It will also put a face with the name that is seen in advertising.

Social media
Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. allow you to use any graphic for your profile image. Consider using your logo in this space. You will likely have to work within space and proportional limitations so be sure to have your graphic properly sized to fit the space.

There may be other forms or publications specific to your business, especially if you purchase generic newsletters, informational brochures or advertising. Check every piece for the next month or so to gauge where your brand may be improved. As noted in an earlier issue of COCO COntact, “All departments must be inextricably linked into the marketing effort — there can be no exceptions…”

If you are having difficulty identifying sources of custom branding of any of the pieces mentioned above, call or write COCO+CO. for assistance. With its bulk discounts, COCO+CO. may be able to offer these products at up to 50% less than other sources.

Submit your comments to creative@cocoboston.com.

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