An Introduction to Creating a Brand for the Decoration Industry
A decoration business’s brand is more than just a name or a logo. A brand is ultimately how the outside world views the business. A business’s brand is determined by several factors including the name, logo, taglines, sounds, colors, and more. Today a business’s website and social media presence are a major part of its brand. Creating a positive and recognizable brand is a major gateway to success in the business world. Companies like Google and Apple are known all over the world due to their excellent brands. Building up that type of brand equity takes years of high quality products and/or services and careful brand management.
Name
A company’s name does not make the brand, it is an important component of a successful brand. Any business name must first be cleared by its state Secretary of State’s office. Even if a name is cleared by the state, it may not be possible to use it due to copyright and trademark laws. For instance, just because the name “Coka-Cola” is not taken by any business does not mean you will be able to sell a soft drink with that name because it will infringe on Coca-Cola’s rights. A good name is simple and memorable, a difficult combination to achieve. For decoration businesses, using your location as part of a name, like Columbus Custom Tees, is typically a good idea. Another good idea is to create a name that is industry-related, like DiscountMugs.com. However, if you have a quality product and are smart in your branding efforts, then almost any name will do.
Logo
Logos are also quite important to a decoration business’s brand. The icon aspect of the logo is especially important to decoration business’ online presence. When it comes to logo and icon colors, less is more. The fewer colors you have in a logo, the more easily the logo can be printed on a variety of substrates. Some companies spend lots of money to develop their logos. That is not always necessary to come up with a great logo, however. The website Fiverr.com is an excellent place to find designers for a low budget logo. There are many designers on Fiverr, and because most only charge $5.00 for their work it is possible to get multiple design options without breaking the bank. A product decoration business’s logo is important because it is the first glimpse potential customers have at the business’s creativity and design skills.
Website
A decoration business’s online image is its website, and it all starts with a good domain name. Again, simplicity is recommended when it comes to domains. The optimal domain name would be the business’ name, unless it is just too long or unavailable, in which case some abbreviation is acceptable. There are many domain directories, like GoDaddy.com, where you can search to see what domains are taken, which ones are available, and which ones might be purchasable from their current owner. While there might be attractive options for .com alternatives, .com is king when it comes to Top Level Domains (TLD).
Once you have selected a great domain name for your product decoration site, the site itself must be built. This is one area not to skimp. Site design and functionality are absolutely critical to a decoration business’s brand. Handling artwork, ordering, and financial transactions requires significant work. If a business has taken shortcuts with site design, then customers will assume that they take shortcuts elsewhere in the business as well. That is a fair assumption, because a website will handle the majority of a decoration business’s interaction with customers online. Having a cheap website is much like having a disorganized store with ineffective employees, it simply will not work.
Social Media
There is one more critical component to an effective online brand, social media presence. The way that a business interacts with customers is a major part of their brand. Social media gives businesses the ability to engage customers outside of the traditional sales or customer service process and engender a sense of community among its followers. It is important for a decoration business to effectively manage complaints, requests, and other comments that will inevitably come from its customers. It does not take much for customer interaction to “go viral” these days, and typically the interactions that do go viral are not positive. This should not scare businesses away from social media, but it should inform them of the danger that poor social media performance poses to their brand. There are several good ways to increase your brand recognition on social media, including offering discounts, promotional giveaways, or even contests. Posting pictures of finished products on social media is also a great way for a product decoration business to advertise its capabilities.
Conclusion
A business’s brand is, in many ways, its reputation. Businesses that have good and consistent branding both online and in-person are simply more successful. Building a strong brand starts with the business’s choice of name and logo and carries through to all its interaction with customers. There is a lot to consider when building a brand, but it is worth the effort to create something that will resonate with the customer base for years. Do not rush launching your brand, and make sure you are completely ready before you start marketing your brand, as you only get one chance at a first impression.
