Transforming a Vision Into a Strong Brand Identity

As a personal branding strategist, I work with highly motivated women entrepreneurs and solo-preneurs who want to maximize what makes them exceptional and accelerate their business to gain more exposure, credibility, and visibility AND enjoy more free time. 

To do this, I incorporate corporate branding strategies and techniques as well as my training and years of experience in graphic design.

When it comes to your visual brand (graphic design expression of your brand), specifically your brand logo identity, you don't need much to begin creating it. When I work with clients, all they need to get us started on creating their logo identity is a vision, an idea, and/or samples of the types of logos, colors, and fonts that resonate with them.

Take, for example, the image below. I work with an exceptional natural health practitioner who is creating and launching her brand and a new set of products. 

Our first step is her logo identity because this is the foundation of her visual brand. When we started to talk about what she envisions for the look and feel of her brand, I asked her to send me samples of the types of graphics that she resonates with. She sent me the image you see below.

With this image and our conversations together to dig a little deeper into her true vision for her business, we were able to quickly capture the essence with a custom logo design that clearly expresses the personality of the exceptional gifts that she provides through her work.

With just a small idea, we were able to create a strong visual brand for her. (below) With this logo design, she is now able to begin 'branding' all of her business communications–website, business card, brochures, products, etc., which helps her to gain more exposure, credibility, and visibility.

New Logo Identity

If you're looking to build credibility, attract more clients, and get better results, your brand (and the effective marketing of that brand) will naturally help you get there. 

About the Author: Lisa Hromada is Personal Branding Strategist who works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs and solo-preneurs who want to maximize what makes them exceptional and accelerate their business to gain more exposure, credibility, and visibility AND enjoy more free time. She uses both online and offline strategies to help you to take your resources, contacts and expertise farther. Learn more at http://www.lisahromada.com

Developing a Strong Online Business Brand

Developing a strong business brand is one of the best ways to gain a competitive edge over other online marketers. When working on the internet a key first step is to establish a unique identity that will help you stand out. When you establish a unique online brand people are able to separate you from the 'noise' and better tune into your marketing message. The point of any promotional efforts you put forth is to deliver a message but if it is not heard it is useless. Capturing the attention of others must first be accomplished before any message can be delivered and establishing a unique online brand will do just that.

Here are 7 strategies to help you build and establish your own brand thus allowing you to more effectively deliver your marketing message to people all across the internet.

1. Determine What You Represent

A clear determination of what your business or products represents needs to be made so it can be conveyed to the public. The online platform you use whether it is a blog or website needs to state your objectives or mission statement.

2. Use Visual Support

The use of graphics and/or visuals needs to support not only the content they are placed in but also be consistent with the online brand you are establishing. Of course the way you use these visuals should also be in an appealing and appropriate manner.

3. Use Text to Reinforce Image

As stated above the use of text should be consistent with both your image and any marketing message you want to deliver. Inconsistencies here will only serve to sabotage your branding efforts and confuse the public.

4. Broaden Your Spectrum

On your website or blog or both, offer content that is useful and supportive of your online brand. One note here is to not restrict the scope of information you are supplying but instead offer a broad range of content. As long as whatever you are posting or publishing has some sort of relevance to your business it will serve your following a greater purpose. They will come to know that your site(s) will be a great source of a broad range of information on the subject you have focused on.

5. Support with SEO

Learn to make good use of your search engine optimization efforts by choosing the proper keywords and placing them properly within any content you are using. This is where many online marketers miss out by not taking advantage of the free traffic/exposure search engines can generate. Once again choose your keywords wisely and be sure they support the online brand you are working to develop.

6. A Network Beats Legwork

Branch out into your niche and make contact with other like minded online marketers. By exchanging links everybody benefits by collectively engaging in a commonly mutual effort of generating traffic that can be shared. Don't rule out working on joint business ventures with these people in the future either!

7. Establish a Logo

Choose a simple image that best represents what your objectives are and use it as extensively as you can. By placing this image in your email, newsletters, viral reports or other bits of content, you can continue to reinforce the brand you are creating. After a while this image will come to symbolize your business. 

The purpose of building your own unique business brand is to separate yourself from other online marketers. When working on the internet the last thing you want to do is 'fit in' since this will only drown out any marketing message you are trying to deliver. The 7 strategies reviewed above serve to give you a way to build and establish your own unique online brand. By combining the use of these strategies you will be more easily identified by the very people to whom you are marketing your goods and services. To be effective online you must first be noticed, and once you accomplish that your marketing message will be that much more effective.

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. For more tips about building your business brandand to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques visit:http://affiliatequickstart.com/