Last Updated on February 12, 2023 by admin
Brand protection is something a modern business can’t do without these days. In layman’s terms, it refers to protecting your brand from being copied or imitated. The word “brand” in this context essentially refers to everything unique about your business and your offerings.
This includes proprietary trademarks, copyrights, intellectual property, trade secrets, and just about everything else that sets your brand apart from the rest of your competition. Spectrum’s strong brand value is why you know you’re seeing a good deal when you see special packages by Spectrum like Spectrum mobile plans, Spectrum TV and Internet. Of course, all valuable things need to be protected to retain their value. Read on to discover why your brand is important and why your business may benefit from some brand protection measures.
Why Your Brand is Valuable and How You Can Protect It
Your brand is important for one very important reason in the business world: credibility. There are bound to be consumers for any product or service you’re offering, especially if your niche consists of homogenous offerings. If your product or service is virtually identical to any other in your niche, the biggest factor that can tilt the buying decision in your favor is credibility
Brand protection measures can be a set of actions taken in parallel to protect your brand from being plagiarized, and losing revenue to these copycats. It’s not just about protecting brand identity, but also financial loss and credibility hits from the customers the imitators will deceive. There is concrete value to your brand, and you need to start making every effort to protect it while you nurture it into a significant industry icon. Start with these measures:
Ensure the Legal Registration of Your Intellectual Property
Brand theft is an avoidable threat. But to do that, you need to be in a position to legally enforce your brand’s rights in a court of law. A brand needs formal registration for you to take ownership of it. Without the registered trademark on your brand or products, the implication is that they are copyright-free and are available for use, resale, or duplication without repercussions. Therefore, the first step to protecting your brand is to register it formally and legally as your intellectual property. The sooner you do this the better, before you find out someone else beat you to the punch.
Include NDAs for Every Partner Concern Your Work With
Patents don’t just apply to gadgets. They also apply to unique processes and products. A patent is similar to intellectual property, but relates more to specifics like design, structure, processes, and even software. A patented offering means you and third parties that you allow are the only ones legally entitled to benefit from it. However, it is fairly common for brands to work with other companies, for example, if you’re deploying a patented business system for a company. You can protect your patents from being misused or copied with an NDA. NDAs or non-disclosure agreements are fairly standard all over the world. And they can be enforced in a court of law when violated. This helps ensure you continue to benefit from your patent, whether directly or via royalties from licensed use.
Remain Active on Social Media to Maintain Visibility
It’s not just about taking precautionary legal measures. Brand protection is a constant battle, and you need to remain proactive to succeed, not reactive. Social media has become a valuable channel for business marketing and branding. Whether the two overlap for you or not, your social media presence and websites are a big part of your brand.
Social platforms can frequently be the most impactful way for brands and audiences to interact. Digital brand tones aren’t limited to color schemes or usability, but also to visibility (aka posting content). The content that you post frequently plays a big part in forming your brand identity. Therefore, constant activity consistent with that tone is a great way to stay visible and reinforce your brand with your audience. This may make it far easier for them to subconsciously spot an imitator or copycat simply by the inconsistent brand tone.
Educate Customers on Legitimate and Copied Products
However, you cannot leave it to your audience to spot imitators on your own. Poor product quality or scams harm overall market credibility, not just yours. You can be sure an imitator that steals a brand’s hard work is more likely to scrimp on product quality. Even worse, scammers could target customers, and simply scam them out of their money. Each instance only impairs the trust between you and your consumers. Another proactive approach is required.
In this case, it revolves around educating your audience. Show them how to differentiate between your product or service, and an imitation. Highlight your website and URL frequently. Warn them of scammers and phishers pretending to be from your brand. Encourage them to be skeptical, and to report any imitators to you as well. Above all, educate them to trust only products directly from your registered or by a licensed reseller.
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