Your brand is so much more than that cool little swoosh logo the graphic designer developed for you
Remember the dot com boom? Every new company seemed to have some variation of a little ellipse logo and a bold font. It became very difficult to tell them apart.

This was a product of rushing to market. There was so much insanity surrounding any company who could put a ".com" at the end of their name, that companies rushed to take advantage of the investment market.

The logos were simply by products of incomplete branding. You see, your brand is more than the symbol you put on paper. Your brand is a larger, more compelling idea that is communicated in many ways.

If your company was a person, it's brand would be it's personality. Your company's personality, just like that of a person, can be a complex set of beliefs and tendencies. It's the things we do, the things we want, and the things we stand for that all make up our personality. It is no different for your brand.

Successful branding leverages those things about your company's "personality" that are unique, motivating and memorable. The brand should communicate the differences in your company and how they translate into benefits for your customers.

A well managed brand is a very powerful asset that helps to focus your company's internal thinking, aligns communication efforts, and builds customer loyalty.

When your brand is thoughtfully developed and managed across the "touch points" of your organization, it gains strength by reinforcing that personality with every piece of communication.

These communications build on one another, compounding the message and impacting your target audience.

As a small business, make sure you pay attention to your brand, not just a cool logo. It will pay off well into the future.

Happy Marketing!

About the Author

Ryan Dickinson is a founding partner in Harper Design, a marketing solutions firm located in the Denver metro area.