Maria Ross is the author of Branding Basics for Small Business. She the owner of Red Slice, a consultancy that offers brand and messaging strategy and workshops to clients all over the world. In a recent interview, Maria discussed the basics of branding and how to create a brand.
Description of Branding Basics for Small Business
- Published by: NorLightsPress
- Written by Maria Ross
- Paperback, 170 pages
- Features: Great story telling and lots of appropriate examples and case studies
Guide Review
In her light and engaging style Maria Ross covers what can be both a boring and a complicated topic in an interesting and actionable way.
This is one of the more engaging branding/positioning books that I’ve ever read. She breaks the topic into three simple sections:
- What Is Brand and Why Does It Matter?
- How to Build Your Brand Strategy
- Applying the Brand Strategy
Part 1 (What Is Brand and Why Does It Matter?) covers the “Why should I even care?” question and Ross addresses five common branding myths. She defines what branding actually is ... and it isn’t PR, Marketing or even social media.
Part 2 (How to Build Your Brand Strategy) is accomplished through a set of 10 positioning questions about who your company really is - and who your customer is. At the end of the ten questions, your company will be truly defined. From your answers to these questions, you can build web sites, design logos and construct catalogs. You can hire (and maybe fire) employees and plan where you want your company to go. Each question is addressed in detail, so you can get a true idea of how to answer in your specific case.
Some of the answers will probably be easily answered. Others will stump you - and will force you to decide specifics about your brand.
Part 3 (Applying the Brand Strategy) This is the how-to of the book. In this section, you’ll learn how to implement the brand that you defined (and maybe created) in Part 2. In this section you’ll learn:
- How to Choose a Name
- How to Create Your Visual Identity System
- How to Craft Your Key Messages
- How to Choose Appropriate Marketing Investments
- How Little Things Mean a Lot
- How to Hire Well
The detailed steps are just what a do-it-yourselfer business owner needs. The book is a brand-in-a-box. I’m very impressed - its what every business owner needs. It is a compelling read and 100% actionable, regardless of the type of business you have. Highly recommended.
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Maria Ross is the author of Branding Basics for Small Business. She the owner of Red Slice, a consultancy that offers brand and messaging strategy and workshops to clients all over the world. In a recent interview, Maria discussed the basics of branding and how to create a brand.
