10-20-2014
It’s Not What You Know, It’s How You Look
Dear House Rules,
As a woman-owned business, I believe the integrity of my work speaks for itself and ultimately that is how my clients judge me. I also realize that appearance does matter but don’t want to allocate too much of my budget to window dressing. How can I determine the most realistic figure to put aside for branding given my tight budget?
Sincerely,
It’s Not What You Know, It’s How You Look
Dear How You Look,
We agree that repeat and referral business is wholly based on the great job you do. The challenge is to attract new business and your credibility, at first glance, is based on appearance which consists of your public image and brand.
As published in Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tykiisel/2013/03/20/you-are-judged-by-your-appearance/women earn 30% more in pay if they wear make-up. Your business is no different. Consider the brand as an essential strategy to engage your target market and turn a first look into a prospective client. A brand design company will ensure you get expert guidance in these MUST DO brand basics:
- Write a positioning statement
- Design a visual image
- Express your business offering in targeted written materials
- Establish a web presence
You can find templates on the web to follow these steps or obtain professional design support. It is common practice for a business to budget for legal, financial and sales support. Considering the impact of appearance, we recommend you add design to that list and allocate at least 15% of your overall budget when you are trying to grow your market share.