Re: Branding techniques

>Thanks Mel for your insight. I appreciate the time you took to respond.

This is an idea that doesn't get mentioned much, and does need some
> attention. It's a necessary force in big business, but it's impossible to
> do when you're doing affiliate programs or MLMs because you can't brand
> those products. You can brand your website, but the risk here is that
> while your target audience might become more aware of your products, they
> might not remember that YOU are the one sellling them and they might buy
> elsewhere.

> There are several components that can be used in branding: names,
> typography, color, graphics, and blurbs.

> I'll give you an example: one business that I had to give up when we had
> our house fire was my self-publishing business (it takes money to print
> the books and to get them to the market and the uninsured portion of our
> loss ran to $80,000. Every penny we had went into immediately paying off
> debts rather than building for the futire.) I had a brand name (Laughing
> Coyote) that went on everything and a single graphic (coyote running,
> carrying the sun in its mouth) and a particular typeface that I used for
> that image. A few comic shops that catered to small press carried my
> publications but most of my sales came from conventions (with the debt, I
> couldn't go to conventions.)

> But the small banner at my table alerted folks to my presence, and people
> who had bought one of my comics in the past instantly spotted my table
> even if they couldn't remember the book or it had gotten lost or couldn't
> remember me.

> Branding helped me grow my audience (people knew that I loved to write and
> draw G-rated humor) and because the logo was simple, folks could tell
> their friends "just look for the book with the running coyote on the
> cover."

> If this had been in the age of affordable color printing (this was nearly
> 13 years ago, by the way), I would have also picked a particular color to
> use in a spot on the cover.

> The issue is coming up again because I am in a position where I am
> starting to go to conventions again and they are scheduling me for book
> signings and I need a book to sign. I'm currently looking for a printer
> and am in the process of designing the "look" of my books so
> that I can take advantage of branding.

> All the titles will be in a certain typeface, type size, and there will be
> a particular layout AND a certain color associated with the logo. Logo
> will be on the front, back, and spine (just like Bantam does with its
> rooster.)

> About gifts -- think about the times you received something and then
> bought from the vendor later on. You're right that this kind of
> advertising can be memorable and affordable. The University of North Texas
> (which has gotten a lot of my money) uses color and typeface to brand
> everything and gives away a lot of items that you'd find in Dennis'
> catalogs.

> One of my favorite little gifts is the bags of jellybeans every time I
> order something from Purciful's Toys in Lubbock (I love the site and every
> Christmas they get an order from me.)

> Oh yes. But include an advertising slogan or jingle there and you might
> want to use a graphic. That way, if the item (a pen, say) gets lost or
> handed to someone else, there's that "curiosity factor" that
> might drive the person who finds the object to your site.

> I think it would, indeed. And don't forget that your business card ALSO
> needs to be branded.