Creating a brand identity is an important part of the process of establishing any business. A brand identity creates loyalty, inspires trust and allows easy recognition of you and your services. A complete brand identity may comprise several segments, not all of which will be present in all circumstances. Evaluate the following components of a complete brand identity to determine which one will play an important role for your business.
Name. Each business must have a unique name, including independent consultants. Whether you choose to use your own full name, your last name followed by a description of your services, or a completely fictitious name, you should choose a name that is consistently associated with your business throughout all of your materials. Many consultants choose to operate under their own name or use their last name followed by “Consulting” or another descriptive term for their industry, such as “Smith Management Consulting.” It is more common for consulting groups to have a fictitious name, such as “Peak Performance Consulting.” That said, it’s entirely reasonable for you to go for any option, as long as it’s consistent and hasn’t been taken by another company in a similar category. Before deciding on a name, keep in mind that whether or not you want a website now, if you ever want an online presence, you’ll need the .com domain of whatever your business name is. So secure your domain name at the same time you select your business name. You can park the site and worry about it later, or start the process of creating a web presence right away.
Email. Your email address says a lot about you and can affect your professional image. [email protected] may not convey a professional impression, and free email services like yahoo or hotmail often add banners to the footer of their email communications. Use your company domain to set up professional business email. If you can’t get a real business email account on your own domain for whatever reason, at least set up a neutral email from an ad-free service like [email protected].
Logo. A logo is a visual symbol that represents your business. Typically, a logo will contain the business name, combined with an image that is in some way relevant to the services offered. Logos can often be as simple as a business name that always appears in a certain font, placed in a box, or underlined. When choosing a logo, be sure to select something simple enough that it looks attractive when it’s very small or in black and white. Complex logos often don’t render well, and the visual appeal can end up being lost. Fight the temptation to design your own logo. Unless you’re a graphic designer by trade, it’s best to leave logo creation to other professionals. Logo design services cost just a few hundred dollars and can make all the difference in the profitability of your business. Before finalizing a logo, fax it to yourself, reduce it to a small size, and try viewing it in different formats to ensure it will still look good in distressed but unfortunately common business conditions.
Colors. Many companies choose to associate themselves with a certain color or set of colors. This strategy allows printing of the company logo on promotional products that match the company colors, which can allow for easier brand recognition. For example, a health care company that uses a certain shade of blue may want to have T-shirts and pens printed with the company logo that matches the same shade of blue used in its brochures and other marketing materials. Do some research on color psychology to match your brand sentiment and ask your logo designer about color palettes that won’t go out of style. Again, as with logo design, a professional can help you develop color selections that convey the right impression.
Motto or slogan. A tagline or tagline is a short phrase that often appears with the company name in printed materials that helps describe what the company does or evokes an emotion that you want to associate with your company. Slogans can also be beneficial in differentiating your business from that of your competitors by pointing out the key features and benefits of your services. Slogans should be short, simple, and memorable. Slogans are meant to stand the test of time and should be designed to support your business for many years to come. Slogans, on the other hand, are often tailored to a specific marketing campaign and can change as often as your marketing approach changes. Consider working with a professional marketing consultant to generate prospective campaign slogans and taglines, and get feedback from valued business partners, colleagues and associates.
Business letters. Everyone needs a good business card. As an independent consultant, the cost difference between cheap business cards and high-end business cards will be almost negligible over the course of a year, and yet that $100 difference can mean business won or lost. Have your logo designer make a business card design for you while you’re at it. Unless you’re in a creative field, don’t try to be too innovative with the card. Remember that less is more: limit your card to the basic contact information someone will need to contact you, and resist the urge to list multiple email addresses and multiple phone numbers. Enter only the primary number and primary email that customers should use to contact you, and remember to use a professional business email address. Avoid discount online printers, or at least upgrade to thicker paper and maybe embossed thermographic lettering. Try to leave a blank space, at least on the back, so that a potential customer can write a note on the back of your card and remember who you are.
Website. Last but not least, a website. Sooner or later, you’re going to need one, so make sure you register the domain name you wanted in the first place. Unless you’re a professional web developer with very up-to-date design skills, you shouldn’t try to create your own site. It’s not worth your time, and an outdated or difficult to navigate site can hurt you more than help. Don’t let a friend build your website either; Unless you’re a full-time website building professional, the site is likely to be outdated, difficult to maintain, and not user-friendly. You also probably don’t need a custom enterprise-grade site with all the bells and whistles. Use a professional web design and hosting package service – they’re plentiful, easy to use, and affordable. For a few hundred dollars, plus a hosting package, you can be up and running in a few hours with a professional, up-to-date, easy-to-use web presence. Simply select a template, choose a hosting package, and use the online interface to input content to your web pages.
You will soon have a complete business identity as a professional consultant, complete with name, logo, business cards and website. After that, it will be up to you to bring your new brand identity to life by providing high-quality and memorable professional consulting services.