The following is an edited transcript of my video 5 Free Ways to Strengthen Your Brand.
- Use the proper symbol for your trademark. If you have a registration, use the ® prominently with your brand. If you don’t, you can use TM or SM. We have plenty more resources about which symbol to use and how and where available on our website.
- Be consistent in how you use your brand—your colors, your logo, your fonts—to help your brand stick in the minds of customers.
- Register your brand as usernames on social media platforms, even if you never intend to use your brand at all on any platform. Because if somebody else gets it and uses it, that’s going to potentially impact your brand, so proactively go and get those usernames.
- Be on the lookout and monitor for infringements. You can search online, you can search the USPTO on a regular basis, and if you find something that looks like a potential conflict, you want to talk to an attorney to consider what actions might be taken.
- Consider your brand’s messaging. Be authentic. What really makes brands strong and stand out are those with authentic messages that connect to the people behind the brand and therefore connect to the consumer or client.
