Branding and

Your brand is what consumers know and believe about your business.  It is your company’s face in the marketplace.  It is how consumers respond to what they know and believe about your company. Most importantly, your brand is your way of differentiating yourself within the marketplace. It is why consumers shop your store or products as opposed to others.  It is a means that helps you generate repeat sales (brand loyalty) and new customer.

Your Brand and What It Means Online

What we want to do in this discussion is simply understand what your firm’s brand is and how that relates to your Internet presence.  Building a face in the market is critical. Do your customers know your company, your business practices, or what you really have for sale?  Start with an understanding of your business and what you want the world to know about you, then polish your vision and make it crystal clear online:

1. Who are we?  List the values that your company stands by. Do people know about your business values?
   
   
2. What are our strengths? Do you have speciatly products or services that put you ahead of the market?
   
   
3. What have we done? This is a chance to talk about things less seen – employee training/activities tied to brand, community involvement, and charitable contributions..
   
   
4. "Translate" – Once the values of the brand are specified, you can begin developing ways to show that online. 

A lot of rural food retailers pride themselves on being "local" and "personal", and view Internet usage as contrary to that. What ways do you think your firm’s use of the Internet can actually enhance that "personal" touch? One way that needs to be acknowledged is that, much like artisans, many food retailers participate in local fairs, festivals and markets and therefore, your Web site can be an announcement of your market and festival schedule along with contact information.