Branding is a vital part of any small business. To connect with our audience, we need to establish and portray a strong brand identity. And once we go through the hard work and create our brand identity, we must do what we can to protect our brand. But what does that mean?
Branding Guidelines That Will Help You Be More Successful
You see, branding is the process of creating a name, symbol, or design that identifies your product or service. It is important to have branding guidelines in place before you start any marketing campaign. Doing so will help you be more successful and make creating a memorable and consistent brand easier.
A good branding guideline should include:
- Brand Identity
- Logo Design
- Colors
- Fonts
- Typography
- Your brand story
And while some of these guidelines and branding elements may evolve as the business grows and matures, most should be consistent and long-lasting. And you want to do what you can to protect those long last elements. But what is brand protection, and how can you go about achieving it?
Today I have asked local attorney Jay Horowitz to return to our podcast to share more on trademarking and what each small business should know about protecting their brand identity.
If this is your first time meeting Jay, he has been a licensed attorney for 30 years. He counsels and advises clients regarding legal matters, including business law, wills and estate planning, immigration, bankruptcy, and trademark protection and registration. He is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. He is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Enjoy today’s conversation. Here are a few of the questions we discussed today.
- Why is it important for startups to trademark their name?
- What are the risks of not having a trademark?
- Does every company need an attorney’s help with trademarking?
- Will trademarks expire?
- How often do you recommend businesses to trademark their name?
- What are some of the most common mistakes in naming a company or product?
