The term "branding" is very popular in the business marketing world. Branding refers to creating an image for a company or product. For example, when you think of Snuggle� fabric softener, what do you think of? Probably a soft cuddly bear, soft sheets, towels and blankets that smell good and clothes that feel great to wear. That's exactly what the company that makes Snuggle� wants you to think of and they've spent millions to ensure you do just that. Welcome to the world of branding.



Companies pump thousands and sometimes even millions into their branding efforts each year. For the most part branding is believed to be a critical part in the marketing effort as it offers a long term success for any business. (Just think about how long Nike has been successful.) What you want to do is put some effort into branding your online DVD business. The great thing is that you will not have to spend thousands of dollars in order to "brand" your online business, and the best thing is that you will be one of a handful of Ebay sellers that make an attempt at branding their business.

One of the most effective branding tools is a logo. If you do absolutely nothing else in your branding efforts, at least have a logo created that your customers can recognize you by. How much you spend on logo creation will depend on how complicated and intricate you want your logo to be and who you hire to create your logo for you. You can get a basic logo for less than a hundred bucks or you can have a logo done by an expert artist for a few hundred. Remember, regardless of how much you spend, an outstanding and memorable logo is well worth the investment.

When you develop a logo it is important that you place it on everything that you can. Put your logo on your auction templates, mailing labels, and on a t-shirt or a ball cap. The more your online business logo is exposed the more recognition that it will get. Make a business card and put your logo and your website address on it and send it with each DVD order that is mailed. There are tons of ways that you can get your logo maximum exposure and make it work for you.

In addition to your logo, you're going to want a tagline for your business. For example, right now McDonald's has a tagline of "I'm loving it" and people all over the world can't get that little tune out of their head when they have the urge for a fast-food lunch or dinner. That's what I call an effective tagline. Develop a tagline that reflects what your business is about and what you are committed to. For instance, "Affordable DVDs and Awesome Service" is a basic and simple tagline, yet it gets across the image of your business.

If image is everything, branding is the money that buys you whatever you want. Without branding, you cannot effectively create an image for your business and without a business image, there's nothing to set you apart from your competitors.