Building Your Own Brand – Think Big. Think Long-Term.
April 6, 2020
Your Brand is Best
Join Tara and Art as they discuss some tips on how to understand and grow your own off-Etsy brand using Corjl. Starting with a domain name, you can carve out your own piece of the internet. Be sure to think “BIG” with your shop and don’t underestimate your ability to grow.
WHAT IS A BRAND?
The What. A brand is not merely a logo. It’s a person’s perception of your service. It includes the intangible ‘gut feeling’ your customers have when interacting with your product.
You may not think you’re big enough to establish a brand, but that’s untrue. With every customer interaction, your customers are building perceptions (and telling others) about your brand.
The Why. A brand creates an experience and distinguishes you among many competitors. Even in a crowded marketplace, there is room to establish your own ‘dinstinctness’ and draw customers back to your shop.
MULTI-CHANNEL APPROACH
Choose a Name. Don’t think small, avoid limiting yourself. Think big, think long-term by choosing a name that doesn’t limit you to one category or topic. Give yourself plan to grow.
Plan for Growth. Give yourself room to grow and expand long term. Assume from the beginning that your business will grow.
Control Your Brand. Control your brand from the beginning and establish a website on a unique domain name, along with your social profiles.
LOGOS
You Do You. Logos should be legible, unique and memorable without emulating competitors.
Logo Design. Keep it simple, keep it clean. Create something that is unique and recognizable.
Be Consistent. Aim for consistency to maintain same look and feel throughout all your marketing materials.
DOMAIN
Choosing a Domain. There is no perfect domain for your business but it should be memorable and distinct.
Domain Types. Premium domains are plentiful and are often a better choice than regular unregistered domains. You can shop from a variety of registrars (GoDaddy, Name.com, etc.) to purchase and host your domain name.
TLDs. The Top Level Domain (TLD) refers to the end portion of your web address (.com, .net, .tv, .org, etc.) and it’s always recommended that you go after an available .com whenever possible.
Email Address. One of the main benefits of having your own domain name is the ability to create a branded email address to use in all your marketing materials and contact forms of your website.
So, What is Corjl’s Brand About?
Corjl’s brand started as a word play on the word “cordial” and in a likewise friendly and inviting manner, we aim to provide positive experiences for you and your customers. Corjl sellers often refer to themselves as Corjl’ers, which makes us smile.
The Corjl brand is still taking shape. But so far, here’s what we’ve established with our seller community:
- Corjl actively listens. We like your ideas more than ours. We actively listen to your requests and invite open discussion through support emails, social channels, phone calls or in-person visits to gain perspective.
- Corjl takes action. After gathering feedback, we like to take quick action on ideas whenever we can. The majority of our resources are spent on expanding our support staff and making the platform better.
- Corjl prioritizes service. Our experienced support team is available 7 days a week to answer your questions. We prioritize customer service and clear communication because we only succeed if you do.
- Corjl emphasizes & protects your brand. As much as we like our brand, yours will always be better. We are taking steps to increase your brand visibility within the platform, including prominent placement of your logo in the Corjl editor and in order emails.We protect your brand by creating a variety of seller controls and have a strict internal NDA/non-compete for our team members. We want you to establish and grow your brand confidently with us.Contact our support team via email (support@corjl.com) to request your free logo placement and ask about seller protection features, if you haven’t already.