One topic that always crops up in our brand development coaching workshops with small and medium businesses is the need to think strategically about their brands – and this may often mean doing less.

First let’s consider the name – the corporate signature to give it its fancy name. When setting up a business there are a thousand things to think about, and the name is low on that list. So we tend to just say it like it is – ‘Anytown Plumbing Services’,  for instance. That has a lot going for it – it says what the business does and where it is: but things change. Let’s imagine that the heating side of the business takes off: we move into selling gas fires and that leads us into fireplaces and we open a showroom in big city down the road. All of a sudden the name seems less suitable. We are then faced with the quandary – do we change the name and write off all the investment and goodwill the brand carries, or perhaps create a second brand for fireplaces with all the hard work and investment needed to support a new brand?

The message is that we can’t foresee the future, so keep the options open. Of course it’s important in the early days to let potential customers know what we do, but far better to do that with a strapline or brand purpose statement such as ‘ABC Ltd – local, reliable plumbing and heating services’. The strapline can change easily while leaving the brand name untouched.

Don’t worry too much about the name. Remember it is just an icon for what you do and what your brand stands for – it is the values that are the important things. McDonalds, Apple, Ford, Kraft and Gucci don’t mean anything in themselves – their value lies in the association of the organizations behind them. Sure, if you can come up with a catchy, memorable name it may aid recall – and that is great, but don’t batter your head against the wall trying to dream one up – better spend the time focusing on your offer.

When thinking strategically it may be a good time to consider what your long term aim is – do you want to build a business to sell it?  If so, ask yourself the question whether it is a good idea to have your name over the door.

Spend a little time thinking golbally too. The world presents massive opportunities to do business outside your own country – the web has made it easier than ever to exploit these possibilities. So look at whether your brand will be appropriate to other markets. Does reference to your home market help (The US baseball Co, English Teas Ltd) or will it be a hindrance? Does your name translate into other languages without meaning something inappropriate? Do your corporate colours have positive or negative connotations in export markets?

We all have a lot on our minds when running small and medium businesses and often it is as much as we can do  to deal with the day-to-day issues right in front of us.  However, spending a little time to think strategically about your brand can save a lot of confusion and reactive stress in the future. One simple thing you can do is just to consider some point in the future – say three to five years away – and imagine where you would like your business to be. Don’t hold back, be as ambitious as you want – think big!  Then look at your brand – will it suit where you want to be?

If your brand does not match your ambitions for your business at that point in the future, start planning for change now. That way, change can be evolutionary not revolutionary. A gradual development will let you change without damaging all the effort and investment you have put behind your brand to date.