by Inspired To Write

Created on: February 10, 2009

Branding, by definition, is a mark of ownership. It's a combination of
your name, logo, tagline or any graphics that you may use in your
business. It's your identity, how your business is perceived by your
clients.

Logos play a big part in branding. Once you have a logo you need to
use it in creative ways to gain maximum exposure in your advertising.
Your logo needs to describe what your business is all about. Once

you have a logo you've taken your first step towards branding your
business.

Branding is whom you are, whom you want to be and it will become an
attestation or a declaration of how clients perceive your business,
and how you perform within that business.

You may be wondering why branding is important. A brand is a
representation of your business personality. It goes beyond a name
and tag line. Aside from the services you offer, a brand is the most
important facet of your business. Choosing just the right tag line
and logo are important to successful branding. You'll need to use
visuals, auditory, and textural methods in your brands.

A Strong brand will make the difference between being noticed or
overlooked. Your brand is a promise to your clients, a promise to
deliver every time you take on a project. It tells them what to
expect from your services and sets you apart from your competitors.
It's also a foundation for your marketing communication.

How should you create your brand. Be distinctive and do something
different. This will take some brainstorming. Finding a mentor will
help you to get the creative juices flowing. Create a mission
statement. We are all in business to make a living. We all want
to be successful. When creating your mission statement
concentrate on how you will achieve that success and how you
will define that success.

Create your ethics statement. I think this is essential for Virtual
Assistants since we don't really see our clients face to face. When
creating the ethics statement, or code, concentrate of what basics
are for your business ethics.

Make sure to describe what you are branding. A great way of doing
this is by using your logo. Are you a writer? Maybe you can have
a pen, pencil or an old fashioned typewriter on your logo. Or if
your niche is Internet Research, try placing a small magnifying glass
along side of your business name and other information.

Start using your logo as soon as possible. Use it on everything from
your web site to all of your advertising and communications, including
signatures on networking forums.

When advertising of marketing, be consistent. Don't advertise one
time as "The Best VA in Town" and then the next time as
"The Best Virtual Assistant in Town." Be unwavering, use the same
colors, theme, symbols and even fonts on all of your materials.

Networking is an important part of a VAs life. This is how you get to
know each other and earn the trust of your fellow VAs, which in turn
can help your reputation as a virtual business or company.

The secret to success in branding is repeat, repeat, repeat.
Be persistent. Put your logo on every page of your site. The more
people see it, the more they will remember it. Whatever you do, don't
lose an opportunity to brand. Always keep it in the back of your mind.
If a new opportunity arises, ask yourself "what's the best way to
use this opportunity to my advantage" and then do it.

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