TACKLE YOUR BRAND STRATEGY
Branding belongs in the early stages of business plan creation because it will answer essential questions in your market analysis and competitive analysis.
BY DAN ANTONELLI
T
aking several months to consider how marketing can support your overall business and building a plan to accomplish that is a good idea in any year. Entrepreneurs crafting a business plan to transform their dreams into reality have an unfortunate habit of glossing over the most essential piece of that process: the branding and marketing strategy. Whether you’re building a new business from the ground up or working to pivot or grow an existing enterprise, do not make that mistake. For any small business, a strong brand
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HVACR BUSINESS JULY 2021
Define the vision for establishing and owning your competitive place in your industry. and its execution in a solid marketing plan can mean the difference between feast or famine. This is your guide to understanding the role branding and marketing will play in your company’s success and how to tackle them during the business plan phase — and beyond.
than marketing and advertising. It’ll affect everything you do: from what you name your company to the color of your employees’ uniforms, to your website address and what your fleet looks like. That’s why it’s wise to invest in this process in the very beginning.
SPEND TIME & MONEY WISELY
Branding belongs in the early stages of business plan creation because it will answer essential questions in your market analysis
Brand development is about more
and competitive analysis. This valuable exercise reveals your competitive advantage and helps you discover how to stand out in a busy, crowded marketplace filled with the noise of information overload. This is the time to identify your unique selling proposition so you can answer the question, “How will I persuade people to choose my company?” If your competitors are sloppy and unprofessional, perhaps your company can stand out as more sophisticated and polished. If the other companies in your space seem cold and impersonal, adopting a continued on page 16
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