Branding: What Not to Do

Here's a little story about what not to do as you carve out a name for yourself in the world of internet business.

Don't use a miscellaneous email account as your primary web contact address.

Some silly copywriter did this when she thought she was going to start working "freelance corporate" for staffing agencies.

This copywriter chose the name "seniorcopywriter" for her contact email because, in the corporate world, copywriters come in three sizes: Junior, Regular (actually referred to as just "Copywriter"), and Senior. (It's sort of like the sizes of Starbucks coffee cups, but not.)

Since she had left her last corporate job wielding the lofty title of Senior Copywriter, I guess she thought that would be a fairly direct way of advertising her capabilities.

What she did not realize was that she was about to embark on a wild internet mega-marketing adventure, and that corporate had seen the last of her and her copywriting seniority.

So, now when people go to her website, they see the email contact address as "Seniorcopywriter" and probably wonder what kind of self-titling weirdo she is.

And when they come across her email address in some unexpected place, they make no connection between it and her website, which is called Wordfeeder.com.

If you haven't caught my drift yet, I'm using this story to illustrate the point that highly effective branding is planned and purposeful. All of the elements of your business should "match." Your website, company name, logo, tagline, email address, and basically everything you create thereafter, should be aimed directly at your target audience. Everthing should coordinate perfectly-- like Jackie O's wardrobe.

Someday, this copywriter who shall remain nameless, will get around to changing her email address to something more appropriate. But since it's seemed to bring her good luck, for now she superstitiously keeps it as is.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Find out how crisp, targeted copywriting can make a world of difference for your business. Dina Giolitto is a Copywriting Consultant with ten years of experience. Visit http://Wordfeeder.com for free tips on branding, copywriting, marketing and more.

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