A recent review of the Branding Workbook written by Yvonne Fuchs and myself.

“What is your brand? If the first thing that popped into your head was your logo, then you need to read this book.

“What’s the difference that makes the difference?“, written by Yvonne Fuchs and Sue Alouche, is a brilliant all-you-need-to-know-about-branding guide, that, importantly, is truly relevant to your business.

You learn on the first page of this book that it is in fact you that makes the difference, but I don’t tell you this to spoil the surprise for you.  I want you to know this because the great thing about this book is that it empowers you to tap into your own brilliant creativity to create a brand that is both a thing of value and authentic to you at the same time.  And you don’t need big budgets or a vast amount of experience to do this.

This book shows you why branding is not just for big business like Coke or Virgin.  Often, when you make your own crafts, you can become so focused on your product that you don’t realise that your customers want to buy more than an item – they want to buy a product that they can associate with.  Branding helps you to create those associations and more importantly, makes you memorable.  The good news for you is that as a small business owner you are already up close and personal with your customers, making it easier to communicate your brand personality to them.

This book is full of exercises that help you craft a brand that is honest and robust – you don’t just dive in with a meaningless visual identity (which is how many “brands” are unfortunately born), but you work through the values that are important to you first, and translate these into your brand positioning.  Yvonne and Sue then give you the tools you need to demonstrate these values through all “customer touch-points”.

I am a big fan of brand-led businesses, and this simple-to-follow book is a must have in my opinion.  If you are serious about branding, I recommend you set aside a day or two to read and work through the exercises, and I promise you will reap the benefits later.  When your beautiful brand falls into place, previously agonising decisions like “what should my website look like?” or “should I advertise with this magazine?” become quick and easy to answer.  With clear brand strategy you have a coherent and clear message for your customers, which ultimately makes it much easier for them to buy from you.

In the words of the authors, “When the going gets tough, the tough get branding“, and in this  fiercely competitive marketplace, you can’t afford not to.

Branding is one of the key element covered in the Create a Craft Business e-Workshop.  The next workshop starts on 17th June, and you can book your place now.”

Thanks to http://createacraftbusiness.com and for the use of your image.