The top 10 branding errors Singapore entrepreneurs make

Singapore is known as being one of the best cities in the world in which to start a new business. Yet, the costs of doing business in Singapore can be high, so every mistake you make along the way means money out of your pocket.

When it comes to branding, why not learn ahead of time which pitfalls to avoid? As a corporate brander for 20 years, and now with 10 years as an entrepreneur under my belt (two years here in Singapore), I’ve not only seen my share of branding and marketing mistakes, but I’ve made a few myself along the way.

Here are the top ten most common branding mistakes I see entrepreneurs making here in the Lion City:

Getting creative with your company name. Clever company names are popping up all over Singapore. They may be fun to develop, but if your target market cannot tell who you are and what you stand for from your company name, customers may just pass you by.

Potential clients won’t take the time to figure out your business. So, make it easy for people to “get” what you do.

Would you rather spend your marketing dollars explaining the purpose of your business or let your company name do that for you? A well-named business can make your marketing job much easier.

Forgetting that you are your brand. No matter what you sell – and whether you like it or not – as an entrepreneur, you become the masthead for your business.

Everything you do represents the brand of your company. I knew a business owner who lost a multi-country contract because he arrived at a meeting with alcohol on his breath from a previous night out on the town.

Concerned that he might have a drinking problem, the potential partners broke the deal. But you can undermine your company’s brand even without doing something extreme.

Maintain a character that is consistent with your brand, and it will do your company – and you – good.

Not making tough choices about your brand’s offerings/benefits. Just as you can’t target your product to everyone in the marketplace, you must also make tough choices about what your brand will stand for.

Don’t fall victim to “brand benefit scope creep!”

Here’s an example: Ten years ago, during the very first week of starting my own business, I was feeling nervous. I had left a very successful, six-figure VP job at a major corporation, and – like any first-time entrepreneur – I worried about being able to get enough work.

I received two phone calls right away, both from major multi-nationals who asked me to come in and do some work with them for Sales and Operations.

The truth is: Given my more general management education and experience, I could have done both of these projects fairly well. And I loved the idea of landing two great clients in my first week of running my own business!

But I knew I had to stay focused. Branding and marketing were my passions – what I knew best and what I wanted to stand for.

So, I took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and replied “no” to both offers. It was terrifying but, ultimately, the right decision.

Fortunately, the phone rang the very next week with a few branding and marketing engagements, and I accepted them. I’ve been able to successfully maintain that focus ever since.

Not confirming that a need for your product or service truly exists. Many entrepreneurs in Singapore throw products out into the market like they’re playing a game of darts. They say they don’t have the funds for market research, so they just wait to find out what will work in the market and what won’t.

What they don’t realize is that they’re spending much more money on creating products and services that won’t sell than they would if they spent just a little bit on some focused market research.

So, get creative – you don’t have to conduct fancy, expensive market research. If you’re selling a new toy, for example, go to the nearest day care centre, and watch the children play with the toys.

If you’re offering a new service, invite people who are in your demographic to try it out and then ask them what they think. Find out ahead of time if you have a viable proposition. It will save you a lot of money and time in the long run, and it will keep your brand’s image intact.

Not making the tough choices required to really target your marketing. The bigger your target market, the bigger your business, right? Wrong. You can’t be everything to everyone.

Your brand or business won’t truly be able to reach your target market unless you can deliver a meaningful point of difference.

If you’re targeting all women 18 and older, you can’t show that entire age group how your product will help them because, let’s face it, an 18-year old has different needs than a 50-year old.

So, segment and separate your target markets. Get specific! Find out what will appeal to your focused target market, and advertise your product or service with that in mind.

Not being realistic about your competition. Some businesses make the mistake of believing their product has no competition. This is never true! Even if there is no product or service that directly competes with yours, there is always something else on the market that your customers can choose to meet their needs over your brand.

Case in point: If you wake up with a back ache, a pain pill manufacturer might assume you will automatically reach for a pill. But many other options exist: stretching, using a hot water bottle, getting a massage, and going back to bed, just to name a few…

So, get to know your direct and indirect competition well, and look at them all realistically. What will differentiate your product or service from your competitors and fill your target’s needs? Focus your brand on those differences.

Not being consistent in your communications. If the DNA of your hair were different from the DNA of your fingernails, you’d be a mutant. The same is true for the way you communicate your brand. Power positioning means you take your positioning and communicate it – consistently – across everything you do.

If your positioning stands for one thing, but your website or your brochures communicate something else, your brand will mutate, and you’ll never stand for anything. Your target market can only get to understand your brand well if all of your communications are 100% consistent with what you want your brand to stand for.

Not choosing the right team members to reflect your brand. Because of their smaller company size, some Singaporean entrepreneurs believe they should be “grateful” just to get people to work for them. Not true! Just as you represent your brand, so does every single one of your employees.

Make sure the people you hire have the same character as the one you want your business to communicate in the marketplace. That means finding the best possible people to join your team, and spending a little extra to get them. The effort will pay back ten-fold.

Forgetting that your brand image extends to your employees, not just your customers. Do you treat your staff as well as you treat your customers? Treat your team poorly, and the word will spread across Singapore, undermining your brand in the process.

Consistently treat your team well, and eventually the best candidates will want to work for you.

Not making your business something you love to do. As an entrepreneur, you’ll be eating, sleeping, and breathing your business for a long, long time. If you don’t absolutely love it, you will burn out.

So, don’t choose to do something just because it’s what you’ve always done. You’ll spend way too many hours of your life unhappy, and your heart won’t be in it.

A few years ago, I coached a woman who was trying to create a new business brand based on her past experience rather than on her passion. When I asked her what she really loved to do, she said “work with horses!”

Through our work together, she eventually realized she could combine her love of horses with the skills she had acquired in her past jobs. So, she created a training program that brought corporate executives to her ranch to learn leadership skills through working with the horses.

Take her example, and find a way to live your passion. You’ll be much happier for it. Every entrepreneur makes a branding or marketing misstep now and then.

If you’ve fallen prey to any of these mistakes, pick yourself up, and do what’s necessary to course correct. The more you steer clear of these top ten marketing blunders, the faster you’ll build a powerhouse brand for your Singapore business and enjoy the entrepreneurial success you deserve.