A strong brand identity is a valuable asset for any company. It can be the difference between success and failure. A big part of protecting your brand identity is making sure that you can distinguish yourself from competitors in an industry where there might be many other companies vying for the same customers as you.
In this blog post, we will go over six steps to protect your brand identity so that you don’t have to worry about being overshadowed by another business that may not share your values or goals.
Name Your Business In A Way That Sets It Apart From Others
One of the first steps you should take to protect your brand identity is giving your business a name that clearly distinguishes itself from competitors. This may mean choosing different naming conventions for your company, such as using uncommon punctuation or including numbers in the titles, so they are not easily confused with another business with a similar name.
For example, if you were opening up an Italian restaurant in the area called “Il Parma,” it might be difficult for customers to remember your business instead of another nearby Italian food establishment that goes by “Parm.” Therefore, start by thinking of an original name that will help customers instantly recall your business.
Register Your Name And Logo With A Patent And Trademark Office
The next step you should take to protect your brand identity is registering your business name and logo with a Patent and Trademark Office. If your brand is in California, ensure that you register it with the California Secretary of State. Ensure that you have someone familiar with the process do it for you, as many pitfalls can be made if not completed correctly. The US Patent and Trademark Office gives you the right to protect your brand identity for between five years or indefinitely if it is considered “famous.”
The benefits of registering your business name and logo include ensuring exclusive rights over the use of the trademarked image or phrase in association with services to prevent others from profiting off of your company’s identity.
Choose A Domain Name For Your Website
The next step to protecting your brand identity is by choosing a domain name for your website. If you have already registered your business with the Patent and Trademark Office, then it’s time to start thinking about what you would like the URL of your website to be. Although multiple ways can be used to prime yourself on potential domain names, the best way to develop a shortlist is by using word mapping.
Word mapping essentially takes certain keywords or phrases related to your business. It puts them together in different combinations until you are left with several potential domain names for your website that include words relevant to your industry.
Protect Your Intellectual Property Rights
The next step to protecting your brand identity is by taking steps to protect any intellectual property rights you may have. This means ensuring that there aren’t any other businesses out there using similar logos, designs, or phrases as yours without permission.
Intellectual property laws give owners of certain original works exclusive rights over the use and distribution of their work. If there is a case of someone infringing on your intellectual property, such as by using the same logo or phrase, then it’s important to take measures against this.
Ensuring that you hold these rights can be done through certain practices like trademarking and copyrighting work performed in association with either your company name or product names.
Establishing A Social Media Presence
Another step you can take to protect your brand identity is by establishing a social media presence. By having an online presence, you will respond quickly and efficiently when customers bring up issues on review websites or even if they have problems with your products while still in the early stages of their relationship with your business.
Establishing a social media page can be done by first creating your social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Once you have created these pages for your business, it’s important to incentivize customers to follow them through giveaways or deals that encourage people to engage with the page.
Get Insurance Coverage For Your Brand
The last step you can take to protect your brand identity is by obtaining insurance coverage. If there are any damages incurred on the company’s property, then it will be important to have commercial general liability (CGL) or products liability coverage for both physical and intellectual damage that could impact the future of your business.
When doing this, consult with a lawyer so that you are fully aware of what needs to be included in the policy. Ensure that your business gets protected in the event if there are any damages to your property or products that could potentially impact future sales.
There are many ways to protect your brand identity. By following these steps, you can ensure that you have exclusive rights overusing your company’s name and logo and make sure that any actions involving damage or theft will be covered by an insurance policy not to affect your future business operations.
About Post Author
