Tip #1: Distinguish between your company and your product: Your company is not the product you are trying to brand. Some companies waste enormous resources and confuse customers when they divide their branding efforts carelessly between their company name and a specific product. When you message to the public, be crystal clear about whether you are talking about your company or your product.



Tip #2: Select a logo that is applicable to multiple media: Quite simply: your logo should look just as good on your business cards and letterhead as it does on your Web site. Make sure you choose a logo that reproduces well in multiple media. Ask a graphics design specialist for their input.

Tip #3: Leverage every customer-facing process to build your brand: Your brand is not just about your name, your logo, and your tagline: it is about the total package. Examine every customer-facing point your employees have - including telephone calls, e-mails, your Web site, ads . . . even how product returns are processed - and make sure that they say the right thing about your brand.

Tip #4: Do not spread your brand too thinly: If you have built your brand for one product or product line, it can be a good idea to expand that niche using your current brand equity. However, it is usually a very poor idea to try to spread that brand to other product lines. Imagine if BMW came out with a line of high-end golf carts. You get the picture. Doing this will only serve to dilute your brand.

Tip #5: Work to associate a specific customer promise with your brand: Your customers should always be reminded of one particular quality that they will always experience, without fail, whenever they do business with you. This is your customer promise and everything about your brand should reinforce this customer promise, without fail, every time. Consistency is key here as even a single point of failure could ruin your brand image for a group of customers which can never be restored.

Branding a product is not complicated, but it does require expertise, attention, and careful thought. By developing an effective branding strategy your products stands to fair very well against its competition.