September 7, 2007 | Category: Branding | Tags: Branding Tips, Startup Advice

Needless to say, branding is essential for your company to stand out from the crowd and differentiate against the competition. However, some entrepreneurs believe branding is as simple as placing an advertisement or buying a logo. Without them knowing, they are signing their own business suicide note. In case you’re wondering about the things to avoid in branding, you can check them out below:

1. Using business jargon. It will impress your colleagues but will confuse your customers. Which do you prefer?
2. Not knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Follow the 5th of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: seek first to understand then to be understood.
3. No specific target market. The old dictum you can’t please everybody remains true even today.
4. No marketing plan. Without a plan there will be no direction. You might end up confusing and annoying your customers due to your inconsistent product claims and promises.
5. Trying hard to be different. Don’t be different for the sake of being different. It must have a rationale and added value to your business.

The mistakes above are appetizers. In fact, you can find another 7 deadly branding mistakes from the blog of Patsi Krakoff.