How I Set Up Branding for My Amazon FBA Products
Once your inventory arrives (or even while you're waiting for it), it's time to get serious about branding your products. Here's the thing most new sellers don't realize: your brand isn't just a fancy logo or catchy business name. It's everything—your products, how you run your business, your marketing approach, your values, and what customers actually experience when they buy from you. That's exactly why solid branding matters just as much as having great products to sell.
Building Something That Lasts
When people hear "sustainability" these days, they usually think about going green and helping the environment. That's definitely important since more customers care about how their purchases impact the planet. But there's another kind of sustainability you need to think about—building a brand that stays relevant and keeps making money for years to come.
You want to avoid creating something that's just riding a trend or fad. Your branding needs to have staying power so your business keeps generating income over the long haul.
Pick Products That Let You Expand Later
When you're choosing what to sell, make sure it opens doors for adding related items down the road. And here's a key point: don't box yourself into a brand name that's too specific to just one product.
Let's say you want to sell fun notebooks with unique designs. If you call your brand "All Quirky Notebooks," customers will think that's literally all you sell. Sure, you might be able to add memo pads or pens later, but you're pretty limited.
Instead, go with something broader like "All Things Quirky." Now you can expand into any product as long as it fits that quirky vibe. Electronics are another perfect example of this strategy. Take mobile phones—they come with tons of accessories like cases, screen protectors, chargers, power banks, you name it.
When you sell complementary products, your regular customers stick around because they don't need to shop elsewhere for accessories. Plus, you'll pull in new customers who discover you through those other items.
Keep People Wanting Your Products
To stay relevant in the marketplace, you need to constantly make people feel like they need your products. One smart way to do this is by making your stuff feel exclusive.
Try offering limited edition versions that make customers think they won't be available forever. You can also create exclusivity by making certain products or deals available only to specific groups. For instance, offer special discounts or particular items only to your Amazon customers—not to people shopping at your physical store or other online platforms. This creates urgency and demand that helps keep your business thriving.
Understanding Trademarks
You've probably heard the word "trademark" thrown around, but what does it actually mean? People sometimes mix it up with branding, but a trademark is the legal protection for your company's identity. It could be a symbol, logo, phrase, or word that represents your business.
Basically, you need a trademark to protect your intellectual property. For your business to qualify for trademark protection, you have to use the brand commercially and make sure it's unique to your company.
You can trademark several aspects of your business: unique product and business names, specific words or phrases you use in products or marketing campaigns, symbols and logos your company uses, and more. You can even trademark scents, colors, and sounds that are unique to your brand if you don't want others using them without permission.
Four Types of Trademark Marks
When it comes to naming your brand, there are four types of marks you should understand:
Descriptive marks are things that have gained a secondary meaning. For example, if your last name happens to be McDonald and you want to call your business "McDonald's Cakes and Pastries," you can't do that because McDonald's already has a secondary meaning as an American fast food chain.
Suggestive marks are the most common type of trademark. They don't completely describe what the company or product is, but they give customers a hint about what kind of products the business sells. Think Netflix, Airbus, and Citibank.
Arbitrary marks are words or phrases that have absolutely nothing to do with what the company actually sells. Apple doesn't sell fruit—they sell phones, laptops, and computers. Windows is another great example of arbitrary trademark.
Fanciful marks are completely original terms created specifically for a business or product, like Kodak, Aveeno, Exxon, Pepsi, and Polaroid.
Why Trademarks Matter for Your Business
Like I mentioned earlier, trademarks protect your business from intellectual property theft. They also help set your company and products apart from similar businesses so customers don't get confused about who they're buying from.
Trademarks prevent unfair competition—things like imitation, trademark violations, and other companies stealing your confidential information or trade secrets. Having a trademark also gives customers confidence because they know they're buying from a brand known for quality products.
Customers can also tell exactly where products come from in terms of who sponsored, manufactured, and sold them. When you apply for a trademark, you'll need to renew it every 10 years. If you use your products continuously for five years, you can apply for something called "incontestable status," which gives your business stronger ownership rights and better protection against violations.
Having your own trademark gives you exclusive rights to use that branding in your business. If you find other businesses using your trademark, you can take legal action against them because you have the exclusive right to use that branding.
Should New Businesses Get Trademarks?
Some people think trademarks are only for big corporations like Coca Cola or Microsoft, and that startups or small businesses don't really need them. This kind of thinking is exactly why some people end up losing their businesses. They don't plan ahead, assuming their business will never grow as big as those corporate giants.
You need to think ahead if you want your business to succeed. It's best to protect your business right from the start, especially if you have unique branding and one-of-a-kind products. This lets you take legal action if someone violates your intellectual property rights later on.
The bottom line is that you should trademark your brand if you want to protect your business from potential intellectual property theft in the future.
Let me give you a scenario that shows why this matters. Say Emily starts selling clothes she designs herself in her neighborhood under the name "New Threads." She doesn't bother getting a trademark because she thinks it's just a small business and nothing big will come from it.
Later, she notices a competitor in a different neighborhood selling clothes under the same name. This situation is still manageable since it's a small area. As long as Emily can prove she used the name first, she can keep using it.
But here's where it gets complicated. What if there's another competitor in a neighboring state using the same name who already filed for a federal trademark for "New Threads"? Emily might still have the right to use the name where she lives, but she can't sell across state lines because another company already trademarked the name. This means Emily would have to change her business name if she wants to expand outside her town.
This whole mess could have been avoided if she'd filed for a trademark when she started. She could have picked a different name because another company was already using it, or if she was first to use the name, she'd have all the rights to the brand and the competitor wouldn't be allowed to use it.
If Emily has to change her name to sell in other states, she might lose customers because some won't realize it's the same company.
That's why it's best to trademark anything related to your business that could potentially cause intellectual property lawsuits down the road. Just make sure you've finalized your branding before you file for a trademark. Maybe initially you're still unsure about your business name and logo and want to make some changes. The key thing to remember is to file as early as possible once you're sure about the branding you want your business to have.
Doing a Trademark Search
Once you've decided to trademark your name or logo, the first step is conducting a trademark search. Here's something important to understand: just because your trademark application gets approved doesn't mean no other company is using it. As a business owner, it's your responsibility to find out if someone else already uses the name you chose.
This means a company that owns the trademark to the name you're both using has every right to take legal action against you. If they win the case, you have to stop operating your business under that name.
You can do a personal search online, which is relatively easy and cheap. This won't be your final search, but it's a preliminary search that will filter out many names that are already trademarked. You can conduct your own trademark search by going to these websites:
Besides doing your own trademark search, you can get help from a professional. Make sure any searches these companies perform include both state and federal registered marks. You shouldn't just search for registered trademarks either—you also need to search for unregistered trademarks. While you'd have a better chance of winning a case against a company that hasn't registered their name, you still don't want the hassle of proving you own the rights to your brand.
What It Costs to Register a Trademark
You can handle this in two ways. First, you can file the application yourself either online or on paper. You can submit your trademark application through an online service using TEAS (Trademark Electronic Application System). Online filing fees range from $225 to $400 per class of services or goods. If you go with paper filing, you'll pay $600 per class of services or goods.
The more types of products or services you plan to sell under that name, the more trademark fees you'll pay. Keep in mind that these fees are non-refundable even if your application gets rejected.
The second option is hiring a lawyer. Depending on the attorney, you might pay around $125 per hour or more, or a flat fee set by the lawyer.
As I mentioned earlier, you need to renew your trademark every ten years, which costs $300 if you do it online or $400 for paper applications.
Now that your products are ready, you need to launch them to the public. The next chapter covers the step-by-step process for doing a successful product launch.
