Marketing Monday: Branding 2

On Twitter last week, I found a site that gave some really
great basic advice on branding, Craft Marketing Tutor.
There is a lot of information to explore, but this post
Branding Small Crafts Businesses
goes back to some of the basics we always talk about.
While I don't agree with sending candy as a gift with purchase,
I do think sending along a little something that represents your
business is a good idea.



click on the image to go to the item!

Marketing Monday: Branding

I've been thinking about branding and cohesiveness again lately.
Sellers Assisting Sellers had a post this weekend:
How To Tell If Your Business Is Branded.
I'm not sure about the 'tell a story through your descriptions.'
I prefer a clear and concise description, both as a buyer and a seller.


JohnnyNoThumbzzz

Catherine of Olivebites, Home of Uncorked and Polarity
has been writing a marketing series on her blog. From
Marketing This Thing Part IV: Strategy Is Not Just For Generals,
I really enjoyed this advice,

Now, we want to be creating our own brand and not
copying anyone else's, but seeing someone else doing
something really, really well can get us thinking of new
ways of looking and thinking about our own work.


CandyCalamity

So what do you prefer? A story? A concise description?
Have you found your brand?

branding

On my last post about advertising, Green Works mentioned branding.
brand·ing : the promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand

"By creating an identity or image, you are communicating a message about your company; this is often called branding." Meg Mateo Ilasco, Craft Inc. Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business



"Your brand is an idea." Are you carefree and fun?



Or are you more classic and traditional?



When you create your brand, you want it to represent you, your products and your shop.
Try to be consistent: your colors, your logo, your banner, your blog, your packaging, your business cards and stationary.



You want to establish an identity and make it easy for your customers to recognize you.

Jodie of Lake Erie Beach Glass does this very well!
You can find her on various sites - Etsy, Art Fire, 1000 Markets, Ebay, MySpace, blogspot -
and she uses the same branding on every one of those sites!

What's your brand?
(click on the banners and avatars to go to each shop!)