MARKETING PLANS AND CORPORATE BRANDING
by Thomas R. Reich
Modern marketing for small business in today’s competitive small business environment is essential. The first step in modern marketing for small business is the same as it has been since the Phoenicians, who first develop a working marketing plan!
A marketing plan lays out your strategy and direction in the world of modern marketing for small business. The first step is to secure a solid corporate identity, with a common look, color and design throughout all aspects of anything from your company that is seen by the public or another business. A complete corporate identity should include:
1) Corporate Branding and Logo Design
- One consistent color pattern
- Make sure logo is unique, distinctive and very reproducible to all media both media and print matter
2) Brochures – containing the Logo and the color and consistent design which is to become your corporate identity
3) Business cards and electronic signature – should also follow this developing pattern of color and design
4) Press release blanks – should carry the corporate identity
5) Newsletters with the look and feel of your corporate identity from front to back
A company us can assist you design a digital marketing identity, inexpensively, and can get you on the road to modern marketing for small business. However you create this “Corporate Identity” it must be of prime concern. Today, a business identity is your life’s blood, the key to modern marketing for small business.
The second step is to develop an integrated digital identity. In today’s business world, the internet is not only reality, but is indispensible to a modern marketing for small business plan! You have, at this point, created a consistent corporate identity, logo, overall design and color scheme.
You must now carry this “Corporate Identity” into a “Digital Identity”, and do it correctly in order to survive modern marketing for small business:
1) Create a website consistent with logo, overall design and colors to match your already developed corporate identity
2) Create a blog with consistent branding
3) Customize you Twitter with consistent branding
4) Customize your Facebook with consistent branding and create a fan page with a look consistent with your web home page
5) Customize your LinkedIn account; create a grope membership list consistent with your business type.
There are so many aspects to modern marketing for small business and each facet has books written concerning all the things you can do to maximize your exposure. What I hope you take away from this writing, is that everything your small business does must be with a consistent look. Today, due to the internet culture, you can have the look and feel of a much larger corporation, if you plan and execute your corporate identity correctly.