One of the best ways to be successful in a niche market is to create a brand for your product. When you create a brand, you are 'building a compelling association between your product and how it benefits your customers'. The elements of your brand can be anything from your company's name, logo or tagline; it can even be the product itself. Here are four suggestions to help make your brand as effective aspossible.

1. The value of consistency.

Repeat the message in your brand regularly. This is to make sure that the people in your target market remember your product. Your website design, logo and graphics should, if possible, emphasise and reinforce the message in your brand.

If you brand your product as something that can be used in the 'high-end' market, your emails, website and any written paraphernalia should not be riddled with typing mistakes or poor grammar. If your tagline boasts that you have a wide selection of products to choose from, you must have available stock when customers place an order. If you specialise in making it easy for your customers to book their flights online, your website must be easy to navigate.

2. Develop a strong 'unique selling proposition'.

Developing a 'unique selling proposition' ('USP') means that you choose a few words that show your customers how they will benefit from doing business with you. The message you convey must be clear, in simple language, easy to remember and sets you apart from your competitors. The following are examples of corporations with taglines that instantly display their USP:

HSBC Bank – 'The World's Local Bank'
Phillips – 'Sense and Simplicity' 
Arnotts - 'There's no Substitute for Quality'
Qantas - 'The Spirit of Australia

3. Nurture the relationship with your existing customers.

Use the relationship you have with your existing customers to promote your brand. A classic example of this is when your website has a 'Tell A Friend' feature. When your customers click on this feature, they will be invited to send an email to all their friends telling them about your website. Many people who have relied on existing customers to promote their brand have seen a dramatic increase in sales from both new and existing customers.

4. Distribute free content.

The aim of distributing free content is to get your potential customers to test out your product in the knowledge that, when the time comes to buy, your potential customers will choose your product. For example, if you sell perfume, create miniature versions of your product and give these away for free. Or, if you are selling an eBook, create a separate document that features one chapter of your book. Then, send this document to everyone on your email list and invite them to spread the word.

To make your brand a success, you need to work at keeping it effective. The suggestions mentioned above will certainly help you in your efforts. When your customers become fiercely loyal to your product or are indifferent to the marketing tactics ofyour competitors, you will know that you have created an effective brand.