The purpose of developing a corporate identity is to make a company more visible to an often preoccupied sea of potential customers and clients. Building a corporate brand is an important part of establishing a business and is something that almost any business owner can accomplish by taking a few basic steps. The first step in corporate identity creation is coming up with a fitting company name. While this step may seem straightforward, it’s not something that should be taken lightly. Many small business owners choose to use their own name as their business's name. While this may work well in a small town setting where they are well-known, using the original owner’s name may have negative ramifications if the owner decides to sell the company or branch out into other areas in the future.
Another important aspect of a corporate identity is the development of a logo. The ideal logo is one that is simple, yet easy to identify. A logo should be a design that can be scaled down for use on cards and letterhead, while remaining easy to comprehend at a glance when used on large-scale signage and advertising. Going hand-in-hand with a logo is a short, descriptive slogan. These tools, when used together, serve to increase a company’s visibility and create an immediate association in the mind of a consumer. They can also allow consumers to quickly differentiate between several similar competing companies and impart valuable information in a short period of time.
While the selection of a name and the creation of a logo and slogan are important to building a brand, even the most creative corporate branding is useless without great products or services to back it up. It’s easy for an entrepreneur to get caught up in building his or her brand and lose sight of what’s really important when it comes to building a company. The cleverest marketing campaign in the world won’t be able to sell the offerings of company if they consist of lackluster products or services nobody wants. When building a corporate identity, it’s essential that the identity is built upon the firm foundation of a highly marketable product or service.
