Kris, getting the clear points of differentiation can be difficult for any business especially if they have not thought of this area before. You mentioned “we” I think this is one of the ways to to do this, because working with someone who knows this area can make the exercise a lot simpler.

One of the big challenges for a new small business owner is completing the branding process in a *timely* way. I fear diminishing returns when a new business owner starts down the path of blue vs maroon vs burnt umber and sans serif vs century gothic vs verdana.

Logo design etc can become an escape from business development and other externally focused activity, at a very sensitive time in a business’ life cycle.

You make an excellent point that is often overlooked. Our perceptions of our brand identity do not always match our customer’s perceptions. The closer the relationship you have with customers, the more likely you are to be aware of what they think.

Thanks for your comment.

Susan

If your company is established, then you will already have some level brand identity in the marketplace. It could be positive, negative, or just different than what you would like it to be, or think it is. It’s important when gathering information from your customers, to understand what they already think about your company, and feed that information into the decision making process when developing a brand strategy. For example, if you want to be known as the high quality, high price solution, but your customers see you as the mid-price, fair quality producer, then you obviously have some decisions to make regarding how you want to position your brand.

Good luck!
Jeffry Caudill
Gingerquill, Inc.