Welcome to BrandedStatement.com. Branded Statement is a marketing firm providing branding services to small businesses and startups. Why small businesses and startups? Because we know these guys are having the hardest time shelling out thousands of dollars for a basic logo design and a simple website, and because we like to start from a clean slate when creating a brand.

To us, the brand encompasses – or should encompass – all communication with customers and potential customers. The tone and message of all this communication should be constant and persistent. The sum of these touchpoints is the brand; the brand is a product of what your consumers think and feel about your company.

So when we say branding, we mean everything. Your business name, logo, slogan, business cards, website, traditional advertising – even your product or service itself – affects the way consumers think and feel about you (i.e., your brand). If the message is not consistent, the brand is insincere; if the message doesn’t appeal to the customer, the brand is irrelevant.

We see it every day: local companies that can’t afford to update their marketing to be consistent and/or appealing. Some companies put effort into their presentation, but don’t have a website. Others have a web presence so outdated that it probably dissuades more potential customers than it manages to persuade.

My latte’s running low and it’s probably too late in the day for another, which means I’m leaving my post at the Austin coffee favorite La Tazza Fresca.

Note the lack of a website for LaTazza Fresca. I know I did.