“Branding” isn’t just for livestock. And in today’s business world, many small entrepreneurs mistakenly think that branding is only a worry for the bigger companies. Nothing could be farther from the truth. With online shopping quickly becoming the only way people purchase their goods, every business owner (even the smallest ones!) needs to know how to create their brand in such a way that it sticks fast in their customers’ minds. But how do you do that? Where do you even start? Before you get overwhelmed about branding your business, I brought in an expert.

Vicky Nichols stayed up very late tonight – she’s all the way in Hong Kong! – in order to be on today’s podcast. She’s been a brand expert for the fashion industry for over a decade with her own website and business www.createafashionbrand.com/. When I asked her to break down branding for the small e-commerce business owner, she said, “Marketing is how you get your brand out there, but the brand itself, the identity that you have, the value that you have, that’s what’s going to sell your product.” And it’s your brand that people focus on. In the wide, wide world of the internet, it will be your brand that makes you stand out among the competition.

Building your brand successfully will take a lot of trial and error. Catering to your customer profile, targeting and re-targeting your clients, and learning how to apply the criticism and comments you receive from your customers are all key ways you can create a recognizable brand. Vicky goes over a few techniques of her own, and her tips include:

If you still feel overwhelmed by all the different ins-and-outs of branding, check out Vicky’s free Branding Guidebook on her websites www.createafashionbrand.com.