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Choosing a Branding Firm for your Women Owned Business: How to Get the Most for Your Money
Since branding is a critical step toward establishing your women owned business, you’re going to want to be sure that the branding firm that you choose offers comprehensive services which include a lot more than just the creation of a name. New women business owners have enough on their proverbial plates as it is, and a good branding firm can be worth its weight in gold. The wrong one, however, can end up siphoning big bucks out of your company and offer little in return.
Of course, the first thing that you should expect to gain is a business name – a catchy, inspiring, memorable one. Let’s face it, the name of your company should be outstanding. Otherwise, it simply gets lost in the merchandising jungle, along with all of those others that were not much more than mediocre. Outstanding doesn’t mean lengthy, however. The best names are often simply one or two words in length, but pack a punch when it comes to getting the attention of the consumer. For instance, if you’re a retailer who’s interested in marketing fashions for household pets – consisting of outfits that come complete with a sweater and hat set – the best name for your firm wouldn’t be something such as, “Pet Fashions”. Instead, something such as, “PetSets” would be more apt to draw customers. Why? Simply because it’s short, complete and catchy. In addition, it rhymes, which makes it easier for consumers to remember. Finding just the right name is no easy task, which is one of the reasons why branding and naming firms are so popular.
Getting your company to stand out among the crowd doesn’t stop with its name. An eye-catching tag line, or reflective statement, is every bit as important. Some of the most successful industrial giants have adopted such a philosophy and have earned themselves enough popularity to become “household words”. When you think of the tag lines, “It’s the Real Thing,” and, “Good to the Last Drop,” you automatically think of Coca Cola and Maxwell House Coffee. When a tag line is effective enough to trigger that type of recall, then the business will surely be lucrative.
Since visuals tend to serve as great catalysts for people to call something particular to mind, a unique company logo is every bit as important as a great name and creative tag line. A good way to test this theory is to drive your young children down the road past McDonald’s and see what happens when they get a peek at the golden arches. They may not be able to read the name on the building, but they certainly recognize the logo! If their favorite bread happens to be Wonder Bread, then they’re going to be able to pick it out among the dozens of other brands on the shelf, simply by looking for the colorful bubbles that appear just above the name on the packaging. The creation of an effective company logo must include simplicity. Just as the firm’s name should be short and to the point, so should the logo. It needs to be unique, easily recognized and relate – in some way – to the company itself. A logo that offers too many colors or graphics will only distract or overwhelm the senses. When consumers are made to feel this way – even on a subconscious level – your company will go into its death throes before it ever realizes success. The presentation of this type of logo, too, can be a problem, since signs that will bear the logo will often be restricted in size by certain malls. It wouldn’t do to have a logo that doesn’t fit on the sign, so keep it simple and be mindful of its shape. According to statistics, logos that are rectangular in nature tend to offer the most flexibility when it comes to applying them to signs.
Advertising online is one approach that most successful businesses utilize, and in that type of scenario, you’re going to have to make your business name easily searchable and avoid using certain words at the beginning of the company name, such as “I” or “My”. Introductory words of this type – as well as anything that starts with “e” - tend to shine an amateurish light on the company. Branding firms know that domain names need to be simple, yet powerful. You can’t afford to scrimp when it comes to choosing a domain name, because the way you present yourself here is going to have a significant impact on the amount of business that you get – or don’t get. An example of this would be a hair care company simply naming their domain, “eHair.com”. As domain names go, this would be ineffectual and end up costing you a lot in lost sales.
Before finalizing the domain name, you have to be sure that it isn’t currently in use by someone else. This means that a trademark search must be done by either an attorney or trademark specialist. You’ll be able to get a general idea by visiting www.uspto.gov, but it will still need to be researched further, and branding firms have access to trademark attorneys in order to initiate this type of search. Though many people aren’t aware of this fact, the law protects the first person to actually use the name as opposed to the one who first filed for trademark protection. In other words, there’s no trademark guarantee. Most people, however, won’t attempt to do this if they see that you’ve already filed for a specific name. Don’t misunderstand that to mean that no two companies can use the same name or wording. As long as they’re listed in different business categories, it can legally be done. For instance, a company by the name of Dell Books shouldn’t have to worry about being sued by Dell Computers, since they belong to two different business categories, even though they share the name of “Dell”. One might try to instigate legal action against the other, but would probably lose on that basis. Branding companies have the means to offer guidance in this area, since the decision as to whether or not any law has actually been violated is typically up to the one who receives the paperwork and processes the case – which translates into the fact that there’s no guarantee that this approach will work, either.
All of the elements of your business naming and branding must be cohesive and include a strong message about what your company offers. If these are disjointed, it will only serve to confuse potential customers and, as a result, you’ll suffer a loss of business. If you’re the owner of the type of company that has involvement in a variety of areas, then it could be quite challenging to define your firm. On the other hand, if the elements work together to provide a smooth flow that easily communicates your business’s message, then you can anticipate a far more successful result.
If this all seems like quite a lot of work, you’re correct in your assumption. That’s why firms that specialize in naming, branding and marketing are such a valuable resource. One of the best companies that’s currently in the business of providing such services is DivaDesignWorld in
Portland
,
Oregon
. This highly successful firm specializes in the areas of naming and branding, and have built a solid reputation for providing reliability, flexibility, innovation and outstanding customer relations. The professionals at DivaDesignWorld can provide all of the right tools to get your company on its feet and headed toward success - saving you time, money and a significant amount of legwork.
About the Author: Monique Danielle owns Portland Marketing Agency, DivaDesignWorld.com, a full service firm that offers web development, graphic design, consulting, and a wide variety of creative services. She is also the founder of divadirectories.com,a free online resource designed to promote the growth and development of women owned businesses throughout
Oregon
,
Washington
, and the Northwest.
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