Creating a brand identity takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Designing a great logo and website are important first steps but how do you establish your brand to make it recognisable, trusted and credible?

There are a number of steps you need to take when building your brand from researching your competitors to communicating your story, message and values to your target audience and then applying these to your marketing strategy.

Be Seen - Grow Your Sales - Build Your Brand
Business directories make your business easier to find online with a direct link to your unique search engine optimised business profile. Your business profile featured on online directories allows you to target your audience and build brand awareness. It is an affordable alternative to improve your online presence and digital footprint. Quite often Google Ads campaign or other paid for ads are unattainable to small businesses. Just think your brand is being promoted on all social platforms, on a regular basis and it is something you don’t have to directly manage yourself.

Local Online Business Directories
Our heart is with two local online business directories that have a support local ethos. If you understand back links and the impact of linking to credible websites to your own website, then you will appreciate the value of driving traffic to your website to again more enquiries, more leads and in turn more sales.

A great way to find prospective customers is to sign up to a local online directory, such as The Local View and Peterborough Business Directory. Our online directories give you access to potential new suppliers, advertise your business across a number of social media channels and allow you to promote your products, services, courses and events to a wider audience through, online articles, banner advertising, our own email marketing and paid for ads.

Here are just some of the benefits;

• Search engine optimised business profile.
• Business description, opening times, contact form, photos of your products, services, courses or events.
• Your profile is shared on all of our socials.
• Links to your website, email and social media platforms.
• One minute video* created for you, posted bi-monthly on all our social media channels.
• Get quarterly stats on our online performance and social awareness/reach.
• Support for you and your growing business.
• Digital and print services as and when you need them.
• Opportunities to promote your products, services, workshops or events through all our marketing channels.
• Publish your news, articles, achievements, events and press releases on our directory for FREE.
  
  

Design, Print & Distribution
So you have got a website, what else can you do to promote your business and get your brand out there? Did you know The Local View provides design and printing services? We can design and print marketing materials such as brochures, compliment slips, banners (great for local expos), business cards and more. We also offer a leaflet design, print and distribution service- perfect for your next marketing campaign!

Articles & Spotlight Articles
If you have some exciting news or developments to share, a spotlight article includes Search Engine Optimisation, chosen key phrases, an advert and video to promote your product, service, course or event.

Articles are a great way to spread the word about what’s happening in your business, create a buzz and engage with your audience.

Do you have a story to tell?

• A local community project or initiative
• A local business event or conference
• Innovation of a new product or service
• Maybe you have recently had some PR and want to maximise your online exposure
• Are you a winner of a business award?

Please request a copy of our article submission guide. Contact us >

Being part of a local online business directory is more than advertising, it’s also about supporting local and your local business community. The Local View and Peterborough Business Directory fully support the shop local ethos with a focus on small independent businesses and focused business owners like you. We understand the challenges SME’s face out there but within our local directories you become more visible, supported and learn about what is happening locally in terms of grants, funding, business support courses, local news and events, share knowledge and network with other like minded businesses. All of this will help strengthen your brand and improve your online presence.

When you think of the word ‘brand’ what comes to mind? Do you imagine big brands’ such as McDonalds, Coca Cola or large supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda?

They’re all great examples of successful businesses that have managed to build recognisable and highly successful brands.

But every business, large and small, needs to focus on building their brand. It’s no small task, brands don’t become successful overnight and it takes hard work, determination and patience to build a strong and successful brand for your business.

What Makes a Brand Successful?
Aside from the above, there are steps every business must take to build a successful brand:

Market Research
Your brand will only succeed if you find out who your target audience is - you need to build trust and a lasting relationship with your customers so it’s imperative you learn who they are and what they want.

What is your Mission?
What are you trying to achieve? Why did you start your business? In order to create a successful brand you need to pin down what you're trying to achieve- all your branding including logo design will then reflect this ethos to reinforce your message to your audience.

What is your USP?
You need to stand out from your competitors so make sure you shout about what makes you different. What are your company values? Ethics? Do you offer locally sourced goods for example? Champion what makes your business unique.

Great Visual Assets
​Once you’ve established the above you can get creative and build your brand assets - your logo, colour palette, fonts etc.

Why Hire a Designer?
A professional designer has a swathe of skills and knowledge to help you build your brand. They know how to help you craft your story and can help you find your audience. Not only that, they can take your story and USP and together create the perfect logo and other visual assets to determine your unique brand style.

You might think you know exactly how you want your logo to look but a designer can help you push the boundaries and create something truly spectacular. Their knowledge of colour and how it will work on the web and in print will be invaluable- get ready for hexadecimal triplets and Pantone chats over a cup of coffee!

Even after you’ve established your brand image, you need to reinforce that image at every customer touch point. Website, social media, email marketing, in print and your physical premises - all need to give out the same message using the same brand imagery. Your designer will ensure your logo is the correct format for every requirement - print ready and web optimised.

Ultimately, a great designer will save you time and money in the long run. They can be on hand at every step in building your brand and can help ensure you stay true to your brand values, message and story.

Are you struggling to establish your brand? We can help bring your brand to life, contact us for more information: Contact Creative Remedy

With financial worries plaguing us all it’s likely you’re looking at ways to help your business survive. One area you should be focussing on is your marketing strategy, so this month we are taking a look at digital marketing and how building the right strategy now will help your business through the next year.

Prioritise your Customer
It’s understandable that cutting spending is the first thing we look to do when faced with financial uncertainty but marketing is vital for your business in order to stay visible to your customers. Instead of thinking of marketing as a cost to your business you should view it as an investment that will boost engagement and help you build a strong relationship with your customers.

• Focus your marketing on what your core customer will prioritise. Everyone is going to be limiting spending on unnecessary items so businesses need to make a concerted effort to promote services and products that are important to their customer base. 
• Look at your numbers, analyse them and get a thorough understanding of what your customer needs from your business. Once you have the data you can target your marketing.

Stay True to Your Brand
Customers will only spend on the brands they can trust or where they feel they get the most value from. Now is the time to be open and honest about your business and what you have to offer.

• Make sure your products or services are necessary to your customer - do your research now and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Ethics are important to most customers so make sure your brand reflects this.
• Make sure your brand is conveying your key message.
• Shout about what you are proud of - sustainability within your business, ethical products/manufacturing, locally made products etc
• Update your customers of any changes, ie opening times, stock, prices etc.

Review Your Digital Marketing Strategy
As customers change the way they shop your business needs to adjust. Look for ways to engage with your customers - now more than ever you need to focus your marketing on staying connected to your customer base.
 
Don’t make the mistake of cutting back on your marketing - now more than ever your customer is looking for certainty in uncertain times. Stay active on social media to make sure you're strengthening your relationships with your customers - post regularly with relevant and helpful content to engage with your audience. Blogs, newsletters and email marketing are other great ways to communicate what is happening within your business while building strong and long lasting relationships.
 
Are you struggling with your digital marketing? We can help you stay focused, hone your key marketing messages, take the pressure off by doing it for you or simply get better through  training and support.

• Before you embark on any major brand changes be sure to do your research - this means customer questionnaires, reviews and focus groups. You want to know exactly how your brand is currently perceived by your target market. The information you get from your customers will mean your designer will be able to help you come up with a rebrand that reflects the needs and wants of your audience. 

If you decide to rebrand don’t forget the importance  of trademarking your logo to protect your brand. 

Are you considering a rebrand for your business? Contact us or help with your rebrand or trademark advice. ​

If you’ve spent time coming up with a name and creating a logo for your business the last thing you want is for another business to start trading with a similar name and logo. There are laws in place (the common law trade mark) giving you some protection from this but without an officially protected trade mark your rights are not as secure as they could be. You might have put off registering your logo because it seems like too much hassle but in this blog we are going to show why it’s worth the time to protect your brand.

What is a trade mark?
In basic terms a trade mark is any intellectual property that can be used to distinguish your business or services from another (logo, name, song, sound shape etc). You can use your name in a trade mark, for example if you offer a specific service such as a photographer, ie Annie Smith Photography but there would be nothing to stop someone with the same name registering a trade mark as Annie Smith as long as visually it is significantly different.
 
Registering your logo adds value
Registering your logo as a trade mark is a valuable asset to your business and allows you to sell, franchise or licence it. If your end goal is to ultimately build a sellable business then having the trade mark registered is vital. It shows the buyer you have carried out every step possible to protect your brand.
 
Differentiate your business from your competitors and protects your brand
Your brand and logo are what helps build customer loyalty and confidence and having a registered trade mark helps prevent other businesses from imitating your brand or logo. By registering your trade mark you are ensuring you are legally entitled to take legal action against anyone who tries to replicate your brand.
 
Exclusivity
Registering your trade mark will give you exclusive rights to use your trade mark in the territory it is registered (eg UK, USA etc). Don’t forget to renew your registration when the time comes though (10 years in the UK).
 
Cost
HMRC have a detailed breakdown of costs associated with applying to register your trade mark, starting from £170 for online application. Creative Remedy will do all the hard work for you with costs starting from 3 hours, this is to carry out the necessary research, complete the registration and liaise with you tthe client and HMRC if required.
 
At Creative Remedy we will work with you to ensure your brand logo meets the requirements for trade mark registration before helping you start the registration process. Once the trade mark is registered your brand is protected for 10 years before you need to renew.
 
Do you have a brand, product or service  logo that you need to register as a trade mark? Contact us for help and advice and we can help you protect your brand.