"A coke and a smile!"

I would be willing to bet that just about everyone today
recognizes this slogan.

Branding is the process by which you associate in peoples minds a
name, slogan, or logo with a product. Included in the association
are all of the ideologies for which your business stands for. For
instance, suppose you own a publishing company called "The Writer
Writes", with a particular type of fountain pen and paper as your
logo. You focus all of your efforts only on resources for writers
who want to develop a strong literary style writing only about
what they know as fact. Over time, your logo and name will
automatically conjure up images of a place to go to publish your
informative writing. You have "branded" your business. The power
is now simply in the logo and name. Simply plastering your logo
everywhere you can find is advertisement enough.

So, how can you brand your business?

(1) Try giving away free reports and articles. Because everyone
is looking for content, and everyone will take something that is
free, you really can't lose here. Better yet, this technique is
viral, meaning that your articles and reports will frequently be
passed from person to person.

(2) Stick with a slogan, logo, and theme. Don't keep changing
things around. Remember, branding involves memory. You want
people to remember you and your site. Don't make them work for
it.

(3) Hold contests for free giveaways. We all live our life to
some degree on hope. By holding contest, with no strings
attached, people will flock to sign up and at the same time will
be exposed to your business name and logo.

(4) Target a niche. Pay attention to what type of visitors are
arriving at your site. Are they doctors, lawyers, stay at home
moms, high school students, or other online marketers? This will
provide insight into what type of brand you should strive for.
The easiest way to brand your business is to narrow your field of
view and reach a very specific target that is relatively
untouched by the competition. This way the only thing that people
see is you.

(5) Create a new category. If you can create a new category
around your home based business your "brand" will be catapulted
into an advertising frenzy. The hardest thing about search engine
marketing these days is the competition. By placing yourself in a
category that is untouched you eliminate any competion, at least
for a while. By the time the competition arrives, your
business, not theirs will be lodged in peoples minds.

(6) Newspaper and magazine advertisements can be used to create a
brand. Each is always looking for fresh new content. If you are
truly standing out from the competition, even with just a new
angle on an old product, exposure in newspapers and magazines
will really help lock your business into the minds of consumers.

If making millions on the internet were really as easy as many
preach we would all be living in Tahiti drinking frozen drinks
all day. The reality of the matter is that it takes time,
creativity, and perseverance. Branding will not necessarily
happen overnight. But the payoffs can be huge. At the beginning
of your online ventures come up with a plan. Think big. Think
about how your business will grow, new markets you may be able to
target, and what you would like people to remember when they hear
your name or see your logo. Then fit all of these things in a
little at a time.

About the Author
Dan J. Fry is an independent researcher and owner of
e-Kinetic.com, a site devoted to providing resources for small
budget home businesses. He has a PhD in Physics and is married
with two daughters and two cats. Subscribe to his free E-Zine on
home business resources at mailto:e-kinetic@GetResponse.com or by
visiting his Infopreneur Home
Based Business Resources and Tips site. He can be reached at
mailto:comp@e-kinetic.com .