Imitators, Haters and Perpetrators

This post is part 5 of a 6 part series on branding that will be featured exclusively on the Successher blog.

There’s a lot that you have to concern yourself with as a business owner, however, some of the biggest threats to your brand may be things you never considered: imitators, haters, and perpetrators. These people can cause huge trouble for you if you’re not prepared by offering inferior versions of your product, creating conflict, or spreading lies about who you are and what it is you do. Here are 5 ways to protect your brand from being attacked in this way:

1. Stick to your signature style: When faced with a copycat it can be tempting to switch your style. Don’t! Keep your brand consistent and easily identifiable. The reason for this is simply because if you suddenly change what you’re doing it can look like you’re the imitator even though you were the originator.

2. Know your rights: It’s important to understand that not everything that’s a part of your branding may be yours alone. For example, if you use a commercial use friendly font for your logo as opposed to having a font designed exclusively for you there’s nothing you can do if another business, even one in the same industry, uses the same font. Being aware of this beforehand can save you the headache and hassle of going after someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.

3. Speak sweetly: When someone leaves a negative comment about your product or service it can be tempting to defend yourself. Doing so can backfire though and may make you seem combative. Instead, thank whoever is making the comment for their feedback and move on.

4. Don’t offer up freebies: There are plenty of businesses that will offer up something free if a customer complains and there are people who know this and take advantage of it. While you should certainly replace something if it’s defective or honor a service commitment if it was missed, offering up additional extras can backfire and end up costing you.

5. Don’t take it personally: When someone says something about your product or about the service you provide it’s easy to take whatever the comment is to heart. This can be a confidence booster if the comment is positive or it can be deeply upsetting when it’s not and you may want to try and explain it away. That’s not your job though, your job is to build your brand the best way you can.

Your brand is clearly an important part of your business and anything that threatens that is something that you want to defend against. The key is knowing exactly how to fight back.

Be sure to check the blog next week for the final part of this series which will focus on maintaining brand cohesion.