Brand tip: It's an investment

Your brand is an investment in your business, not a cost to your business. So you should expect to get a return on that investment - do you? You should have a clear expectation of what you want your brand to deliver for your business. It might be raising your profile, so that you attract more clients. It might be helping you to stand out from your competitors, so you can increase your market share. Whatever it is, you should measure it, because if you don't measure it, you can't manage it.

A lot of businesses look at their brand as cost to the business, so they look for the cheapest option. Saving money can look like a good decision in the short-term, but brand is about building long-term benefit. That's why a business should look at it as an investment. When you invest in something you look at what option is going to bring you the best return.

I found an interesting article on Twitter, discussing the dangers of short-term thinking, tweeted by @paulahillier. Take a look.

If you want to see some examples of businesses that have invested in their brand, visit www.alderandalder.co.uk