How will you go about creating your own brand?

This can be your moment of self-discovery. Deciding what you want your brand to say about you will help you clarify what your business is offering and who you want to reach out to.

What’s in a name?

As well as the fact that your business name will have to encapsulate you and your business aspirations, there are also some more practical issues to consider. Are other companies in your area of business using the same or a similar name? Will it work on your stationery and brochures? Is it easy to remember and appropriate for the financial sector? Not least, is the website domain available for purchase?

Although you are just starting out, it’s also worth considering the future. If you name your business after yourself (e.g. Dave Smith Financial Planning), would this still work if you decided to take on more advisers in the future? And, if you were to sell your business in the future, there would potentially be more disturbance for customers if Dave Smith were to leave Dave Smith Financial Planning than if Dave Smith left a firm called XYZ Financial Planning.

Your own logo

Here, your company name and all the messages you want it to convey have to be reduced to a symbol! Sounds like a challenge but with colour, typeface and maybe an image, it is amazing what you can say about your business. Don’t forget to think about how it will look on all your marketing communications, from business cards to exhibition banners.

Maybe a tagline?

Some businesses choose a tagline to reinforce and clarify their brand and what they do. When they work, they are memorable and become an invaluable part of your marketing.

Finding your voice

This can be tricky, but maintaining the same tone for all your written communications is important. For example, maybe you want to sound informed and friendly. Sounding professional and accessible will be appealing to new clients.

This is what will differentiate your business from your competitors’ – it may be what makes a new client call you above someone else. Not all businesses spend enough time on it or give it sufficient thought. Do it well and you are already ahead of your competitors.

Think about some well-known brands

If this all sounds a little too esoteric, think about some major brands. For example, Waitrose and Lidl are two different brands effectively fulfilling the same service. Similarly, you could compare Ryanair and British Airways, BMW and Skoda or Gucci and Primark.

All these firms conjure up different emotions and opinions. What do you want people to think about your logo, your brand and your company? As part of our Business in a Box service, we’ll work with you to make sure that you get the right name, logo and brand for your target client base.

Contact us at info@tenetbiab.co.uk to find out more and arrange an initial confidential conversation about how you could be your own boss at Tenet.