Create Your Business's Brand
By Kare Anderson

Encompassing a unique name, slogan and logo into a corporate image can help a business gain customer recognition and loyalty. Kare Anderson, president of The Compelling Communications Group in Sausalito, Calif., gives advice on creating a memorable identity.

Q: How does a company create a brand?
A: Branding is making your business stand out, so that people trust you and are interested in you. It’s using names, slogans and logos to create an identity that is memorable to the people you want to reach.

Q: What are memorable names?
A: I prefer names that evoke responses and relate to things in everyday life. "Apple," for example, is more compelling than "Intel" because it’s more tactile. My company, "Compelling Communications," tells clients their audiences will hear them better. My Web site, www.sayitbetter.com, takes the concept a step further.

Q: Is "Say It Better" also your slogan?
A: Yes. Slogans should resonate inside and outside organizations, guiding employees and providing information to clients. They should be specific rather than general and relate to one of the five senses.
You should use your slogan [often]. When I help someone improve a speech or presentation, I say, "You’re saying it better already." I reinforce the fact that I've kept my promise.

Q: What's your advice about logos?
A: A logo should be immediately identifiable from five inches to 500 feet. The simpler the better, like Nike's "swoosh."

"Sayitbetter E-Zine, Copyright © by Kare Anderson, author, speaker, and founder of the Say it Better Center, http://www.sayitbetter.com. All rights reserved."