Creating a distinct brand is an important part of any business. Follow these guidelines as you set out to create or enhance your brand identity.
1. Create a memorable brand name. Your brand name should clearly state what you do and how you are unique. A few years ago, we realized we would be much more recognizable as "The Retirement Guys" than "Clair Financial Services" or "Baker Financial Group." We asked ourselves what we ultimately wanted our target market to do. The answer was: allow us to take over management of their IRAs, 401ks, 403bs, etc.
Is someone thinking about retirement issues going to call Joe Shmoe Financial Services or The Retirement Guys? One of our slogans is: "When you think retirement, think 'The Retirement Guys.'" Making changes in our marketing approach has made a significant difference in our business.
2. Make the brand a memorable identity. Once we settled on a memorable name, we needed to make the brand identifiable by creating a logo. The logo has been a home run for us. It makes a big difference in the response rate of seminar mailings when the recipient recognizes the logo or the name.
