I was recently asked how a startup could compete with established brands in their area.  Good question.

But the answer isn’t that complicated. You don’t compete with them.

You’re not alone thinking it’s about competing in this marketing place. I used to think that way too.

But then I realized (after a few years), the more I tried to be a competitor with the established PR firms in my area, the less business I got. It was because I was so focused on my competitors, I forgot about the one thing that makes my company different: ME.

The only way to survive in business is to start focusing on what makes your business YOUR business. And I can tell you this:

• It’s not price.
• It’s not the products or services you offer.
• It’s not that fancy office you may be sitting in

It’s you: your vision, your intellectual property, your way of attacking the problem that makes your business stand out.

And, by the way, that really is your brand.

Image credit: Jean&Vic on Flickr

Sometimes it’s inevitable. You have a brand that’s known, but because of certain reasons, you need to change your business name.

And it’s happened at the b5 media Business Channel (the host of this and many other great blogs). They’ve got a new name: Bizzia - and a new portal look.

So what’s in a name?  Everything - especially when it’s your business.

Many think that branding is merely getting name recognition or a great logo. But that’s when a rebranding effort fails - because branding is the feeling people get when they THINK of the company name or logo.

Here’s some things to think about if you need to go through a name change:

1) Think about all the ramifications - espcially legal and marketing - before jumping into the process.

2) If you’ve decided to explore a name change, can you reestablish your brand? Will people accept it?

3) Will your new name reflect what you do? Is the domain available?

4) How will you communicate any change to staff, customers and potential customers?

Remember the hard part of a brand change is to get your stakeholders to ‘unlearn’ what they already know about you.

Yesterday, I taught a class about social media marketing for startup businesses.

And one of my points really got a startnge reaction by some in the audience.

I said that when you are competing with thousands of others in the same marketplace, you need to differentiate yourself. And the ONLY real way to do it is present yourself as a unique expert.

Well, a few people disagreed.  They felt in order to build a brand, it’s best to let the brand speak for itself.

Here’s the problem with this. With thousands of choices, consumers will only buy from people they know, like and trust.  One women pointed out that Coca-Cola didn’t need a ‘expert’ person. So I countered that Coca-Cola spends millions on ad campaigns and on ‘expert’ spokespeople to promote their brand.

Most small businesses don’t have millions to spend on branding. That’s why YOU, as the small business owner, need to be the brand.

As a business, a brand name is often a huge concern for small business owners. How do you make your brand name stand out to your target market? Well, when it comes right down to it, regardless of your product or service, your selling yourself. You may find it difficult to see yourself as comparable to the big business beasts that shine greater in the limelight.

What you may be failing to realize is the fact that your business can offer just as much as the big guns can. Reconfigure your mind set, your really selling yourself, and if you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?

You started up a small business in order to live your dream. You have a passion for what you do and want to share that passion with your clients. You may advertise a service or a product, but what’s behind that ad is what counts. You make that service available and attainable. You are the brains behind the entire operation and you should take pride in that. If you lack pride or passion, consider reevaluating your reasons for starting up your business. Did your business take a turn you never intended it to? Is a small response rate causing you to lose your drive? You have to remember one thing — making a success of your small business takes an immeasurable amount of dedication and drive, so muster up every ounce of perseverance you originally started with and continue to push forward.

Reject the mindset that because you are a small business you are small scale and will only reap small benefits. You need to have a big vision for your company and where you’re going to take it. The bigger the vision, the bigger the rewards and you deserve the success you get in return for your hard work. The more you believe in you, the more others will too. You need to stomp on the modesty you were taught to exemplify, and learn to sell every aspect of yourself. YOU are your business and if people don’t believe you have what it takes to make it big, they won’t believe your business will do anything for them.

Once you’ve reprogrammed the way you think about yourself and your business, you’re halfway to success. You can avoid becoming part of the statistic that most small businesses fail within its first year. You have become your main selling point. You are the brand. The services or products you provide are secondary to what you can do for your client. Once your clients realize that you are an expert at what you do, their repeat business will become inevitable, which is the main goal of a business. Give clients a reason to associate your brand with you, and success is sure to follow

by guest blogger David Clearwater

Logo design is one of those strange little tasks that most entrepreneurs never really get much practice at, so it’s not surprising that most of us could use a little help in getting the best possible logos for our startups. Here are a few mistakes you will want to avoid en route to building a successful brand in your marketplace.

1. Not thinking about the message – A logo is more than just a pretty picture; it is often your first point of contact with potential buyers and you want it to carry the right message. Pinpoint the key attribute that makes you better than your competition and make sure your image highlights it.

2. Not being practical – What are you going to do with the logo? Think about where you will need it and make sure the logo that you are developing is appropriate for your intended purposes. If you’re going to be doing a lot of online banner advertising, make sure the logo looks clear when it’s scaled down in size. If you’re going to be buying staff uniforms, get your team involved before you pick swamp green as your new corporate color.

3. Relying on the ol’ Do-It-Yourself – While it is amazing what you can do with Microsoft Word nowadays, absolutely no-one in the world will mistake a DIY masterpiece for a professionally designed logo. Clipart will always look like clipart regardless of your design expertise

4. Not bothering to test – While the logo is yours to admire and cherish, don’t forget it’s also there to attract customers. Before you commit to a new logo, run it past a few of your customers (or potential customers). A thumbs up from your spouse just won’t be enough to ensure you’ve got a logo that works for your market.

5. Picking the first designer you find – All designers are different. Prices for custom logo design can range from $100 to $10,000, so unless you’ve got buckets of startup cash lying around, you will certainly want to research your options. Set yourself a budget based on how important the logo will be to your success, and then go see what you can find online.

About David Clearwater

David has been producing websites since 1999 as both a freelancer and as a corporate citizen at several multinational companies. His latest project is Logo Design Shopper, a comparison site that provides entrepreneurs with a hand-picked selection of top custom logo designers and logo deals.

(photo courtesy of Shannon Cherry from BeHeardSolutions.com)

At the New York International Auto Show, Chrylser’s CEO Robert Nardelli, said, “Chrysler is like a $60 billion startup company with a rare opportunity to truly redefine its own company culture and path to success.”

Are you kidding me?

Obviously the man knows nothing about a start up.  I mean, do you know any startup that had $60 billion to play with in one way, shape or form?  Me, neither.

Look, Mr. Nardelli. I realize your company is going down the tubes, that hundreds of jobs are at stake. But you are in no way a start up.

Sure, you need to reinvent yourselves.  But this angle won’t work.  No one can relate to it - especially those who are in real startup mode.  Nice try though.

As some of you might know, I live in Albany, NY, the capital of New York State. But what you may not know is that I live only a few hundred yards from both Governor Eliot Spitzer office at the Capitol and his home, the Governor’s Mansion.

So, as you could believe, the fodder and speculation of the Governor’s recent ‘activities’ with a prostitution ring is swirling in the ‘hood. Obviously Client 9 will have to resign (probably as part of a deal to avoid major prosecution), and his career is lost.

But there is something any business owner can take from this (and it’s not about just being plain stupid). It’s about branding. Seriously.

Throughout the election for governor, Spitzer was branded as the “Mr. Clean of Wall Street,” and showed (while he was Attorney General) that any person - no matter how big and powerful - will be punished when they misconduct themselves. He also promised to bring the same ethics reform to NYS government as its leader.

The problem is he didn’t live up to his own brand.

It’s important when you brand yourself, you need to live it.

For example, as a professional publicist, I use the same techniques to attract the media’s attention that I do for my clients. Otherwise, I’d be a fraud. It’s part of my brand. After all, if I don’t use them, why should anyone else?

What other lessons does Eliot teach us? Leave a comment and let me know.

I was at an event last week where someone was using a promotional item as a free giveaway.

More often than not, I see people give away pens.  To me, that’s boring - and certainly says nothing about a brand.

This guy who was offering the promotional item realized this too.  So he took a different approach, but it was just as flawed.

He gave away brain-shaped stress balls with his logo on it.  And he said, “Here. You can use a brain!”

Besides the fact he completely insulted his target customer, the brain had NOTHING to do with what he did, which was to create websites.

Now I love bobbles, doo-dads and chochkies as promotional item. They can create great brand awareness. But you should think about the item BEFORE you purchase it.  When deciding on a promotional item, consider these questions:

1. How does it relate to what you do?
2. Is it something your target market really wants and needs?
3. Is it something that will truly remind your prospects about you and your business?
4. Will other people notice the item and inquire about it?

Everyone who got a ‘brain’ left it on the tables at the end of the day.  Luckily for me, I stayed behind and scooped them all up.

My kids love them and my pup has chewed on a few too!

In less time than it takes to grab a chai tea latte, you can learn a tip to build a real buzz for your small business.

In part 2 of our branding piece, learn why all the pretty packaging means little to your target market.

In less time than it takes to grab your gingerbread latte, you can get a real buzz by learning successful marketing strategies.

As part of the continuing series on building your expert status, I share some brand building ideas.