In Monday’s Blog, we wrote about identifying your target market and your market niche. This is important because your branding message must be consistent with your market.

Message consistency is important. Think about the message you send when you do not have an email signature that shows the reader how to reach you. Or if your email address ends in @aol.com, @gmail.com, @yahoo.com or some other generic email service. With regard to this small detail, we have had people tell us that it doesn’t matter. They say what matters is their skills and their ability to do outstanding work. OK, let’s say that’s true. Let’s say they really do outstanding work. If that’s the case, why risk setting up an artificial barrier that may create doubt (AKA: low credibility and professionalism) in the buyer’s mind? Remember, the buyer does not know you or does not know you well. Why would you want to raise an inconsistency in the buyers mind?

If you are targeting CEO’s as buyers for your services, it is not likely that an aggressive Facebook strategy would be the best approach. LinkedIn, however, would be a much better approach. It started as a businessperson’s social media tool, while Facebook has been used for more personal connectivity. And, LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to participate in the same Groups where your target client participates. Through thoughtful answers to the questions and statements posed, you have an opportunity to network and add value – this should peak some interest if indeed you can rise above the noise.

Once networking was done exclusively face-to-face. And while this is still the preferred method (one reason is that it helps build business relationships), social media like LinkedIn provides an introduction that can serve as an ice-breaker, often because you can connect through a mutual connection or professional interest or commonality. When you do finally meet, you already have had an opportunity to share business ideas. But in your responses, you have to position yourself as an intellectual equal and ideally add value – that is, be of assistance to them in some way.

Your target market also drives what you want your communication tools to look like. Theses include: letterhead, logo, voice mail identification, fax sheets, marketing pieces, invoices. You in effect create an image; an image that supports how you want to be seen and perceived.

In the mind of the buyer perception is reality and branding helps to establish and reinforce that perception. Since you have a choice, make a strong, positive impression.

Tags: Your Branding Must Be Consistent with Your Target Market

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 at 10:05 am and is filed under Brand Building, Business Growth & Entreprenurial Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.