Branding Q&A

Just because you operate as a sole trader, does not mean you need to be the face or brand of the business. It really depends on the business. There are few businesses that would require you to be the face of the business. The most obvious one stemming from the members on our site would be consultants and business coaches. However, there also exist many accountants, lawyers, web developers and otherwise that have their businesses built around a distinct brand. Being a sole trader business does not mean you are the sole person in the business.

With that said, whether you are incorporated or operating under a sole trader license, your business needs a strong brand to succeed. Your point of difference, your UVP and image amongst all the other intricacies of brand development need to clearly designed and executed to optimise the success of your business.

Firstly figure out what your goal is. Do you need to build your brand/credentials to attract investors? Are you trying to get more actual customers? Do you want more hits on your website?

Secondly, research some relevant publications for your business. There are several startup titles (magazines, websites, sections within newspapers) - as well as podcasts. Also research the relevant trade press for your sector. The publication's relevance depends on whom you are trying to reach.

Thirdly, keep your website and company blog up to date. Any journalist will check that before running a story, and if it looks dodgy/amateur/incomplete they may just skip it. Your website needs to be ready for traffic - for public attention - if you're trying to generate publicity.

When you've got these three things ready, you need to figure out what your story is. It needs to be "new, true and interesting". For a startup, this might be:

• a brand new product or service
• a partnership with another company
• getting funding
• executive appointments (eg someone high profile on your board)
• moving into a new market
• significant milestones ($1m in revenue, 100,000th customer)

At this point you can put together a short release or email about your news, and contact a relevant journalist.

Remember that the media outlet is interested in your news, not the mere existence of your company or its products (unless they are doing a "trends" piece which you may be one aspect of). They may also be more interested in hearing from your customers than you, so it's wise to have a loyal customer prepared to speak with them (like a case study).

One useful site may be http://www.sourcebottle.com where journalists put out requests for experts and case studies. 

development (business)

There are several ways:
- A name that describes what you do (perhaps based on company values, etc.)
- Join two words together to create something unique (and memberable) e.g. BlueChilli
- A random, made-up word.

I'd avoid names based on your name simply because it can be a limiting factor in the future if you're not a lawyer or accountant.

Each has benefits and disadvantages.

I hope this helps.