Branding is getting the public to think of your company when they want to buy.

Examples: Document Copies - XEROX, Computers - Dell, Toilet Paper - Charmin.... Tap into that and you own the market. But is it realistic for a small business in a local market to make that happen?

By knowing how your company is perceived by the rest of  the world, you can use your image to instill trust, loyalty, and stability within your customers. When you think of Lowe's Home Improvement you should think of a hardware store that focuses on low prices. When you think of Home Depot you should think of a hardware store that focuses on customer service. Lowes customer base is more interested in finding low prices for their hardware and supplies while the Home Depot customer base is more interested in having help finding what they need for their projects.

Most companies have a logo and/or slogan which is also part of their branding strategy.

Typically a company will use their main theme in their slogan. Domino's Pizza promotes themselves as the delivery experts while Papa John's Pizza promotes themselves as the pricier Better Ingredients, Better Pizza. Again the conclusion is simple; the Domino's customer base orders from Domino's for a speedy delivery while Papa John's customer base orders for the quality and taste. Business branding is a marketing strategy used to promote your companies goals which attract customers.

Your Branding Strategy

Choosing the right business branding strategy for your business will help in

attracting customers that share a common need for what you sell. Some people feel that providing great customer service is what they want to focus on. This is by far the most

popular and attractive branding method used to this day. Then you have businesses that focus on providing the lowest prices possible. This also works very well, especially in a market with expensive name brand items. Taking care of your customers is very important because they are the source of your success. There will always be customers who want to find the best deal while there will be customers who will want service and assistance.

The Internet Marketplace

Selling products on the internet is different than selling products in a brick and mortar store. There are still a lot of people who refuse to buy anything over the internet

because of the inconvenience of waiting for the product to be shipped, payment

methods, and the possibilities of fraud. The number of people becoming comfortable with buying products online is growing everyday, exponentially every year, and especially during the economic slowdown.

The Informative Pre-selling

The soul of the internet is information and this is what most people use the internet for and lot of folks are using the web to research products and prices before they go shopping. When consumers walk into department stores they already have something in mind they want to buy and they don't need much if any information about the product. I have found that on the internet it is much better to provide good informative content about your products to make sales. The main reason people are online is that they are looking for information about the products they want to buy so it is important to provide everything you can about each and everyone of your products no matter how known or trivial it may be.

Business Branding With Product Information

No matter what you choose, a good customer service policy or a low prices theme, you can use information to make sales. A good strategy I have seen is to use information as your companies branding strategy and combine the low prices and customer service themes. Set your store up to compare products with the information you provide for each product side by side. This is really useful to the customer who can then decide which one they want, the product that is cheaper or the product that is of better quality. This is the road that a lot of successful e-commerce businesses have taken because it provides a solution for each type of customer you may receive.

Conclusion

Having a targeted business branding strategy can eliminate any mystery your shoppers may feel when browsing your on-line or brick 'n' motor store. When you give your business a theme and show your customers your goals, they will be more willing to buy from you. Your business will have a direction and once you have established trust among your customers repeat sales will come. Who knows, you might become the next "Pillsbury that Makes It Best!"