Jeweltastic: Branding

October first my mom and I discussed a name for our home business.  I Googled it, trademark checked it, researched it forward, backward, and inside out.  Jeweltastic is what I came up with.  On October seventh, I joined a popular crafting community.  The problem with the community is they announce new members and it left me vulnerable to people who would scavenge the name Jeweltastic.

I chose this name for a reason.  I researched it.  I knew what I was doing when I named my shop Jeweltastic.  To do a Google search and find a shop from the same crafting community attached to Jeweltastic was and is an insult.  It's taught me, that I will have to do it all on my own.  I can't trust anyone online any longer.  Jeweltastic is my brand and I have the electronic files as proof.   It's also going to end up trademarked.

You wouldn't call yourself Hershey or your shop Hershey Whatever.  It would be violating a trademark owned by a company.  You can use that name it doesn't belong to you.  This is why it's important to come up with something completely original and not something you saw from a username.  Coming up with something original and unique to you is hard work.  It took days of research before I settled on this one.

Branding:

"The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem."

I had branding in mind when I came up with this.   I make homemade jewelry.  I know there are others who do so.  I admire other people who are creative enough to do so.  I don't admire those who steal other people's ideas.  When you say "That's jeweltastic!"  I want you to think of me.  When I fight for the name Jeweltastic, It is no longer personal, it's business. 

Entrepreneur has a few points that are highlighted for small businesses when it comes to branding.

1. Create branded online destinations.   Luckily, I've done this.  if you see shirleyatjeweltastic or atjeweltastic, you've run into me.  I own Stumble, Facebook, and Twitter accounts and there is more to come.
2. Establish entry points.  They suggest providing meaningful content.  I'm working on that.  My blog posts are all labeled and Google now knows I'm here.  I write like a maniac and I have other blogs.  Perfect!  I can advertise elsewhere.
3. Locate your target audience and bring them back with you.  I believe I am doing this.  Thos who are my friends on social networking sites are into fashion.  I have to work on commenting on blogs but it will all get figured out.
4. Connect with influencers.  I do need to work a little more on this.  I've friended sites like InStyle.  I do hope to mail out free "samples" to various people and companies.
5. Give more than you receive.  I'm working on this point.  This one is a daily work in progress. especially since I have so much to do.

I highly suggest you visit the link.  This has mostly been my personal experience with branding.  The points are all valid though and better explained at the provided link.

Branding is hugely important to any business and a mixture of your own imagination and your own creativity should be what you use, not someone else's.