Most of your larger companies have recognized the value of brand recognition. McDonalds has their arches, Goodyear has its blimp and AOL has its distinctive pyramid.

While many people maintain that the Internet creates a level playing field with the larger companies, brand recognition is often overlooked. Larger companies do the majority of their advertising offline. Sure, they will reference their web sites in their ads, but are not completely dependent on web advertising.

Net based entrepreneurs must also create this brand recognition if they hope to succeed. This can be done in a number of ways.

Many people who have local businesses, can promote their web site with their web address on their letter head or business card, but these are not the people we're talking about here. To them, the web site is simply an offshoot of their existing "brick and mortar" business.

We're referring to people trying to compete on the national level. There are a number of companies that have done this. One example is the "Cookie Cutter". Their "dumb little ad" is their brand recognition. Anyone who has been around the web for awhile will immediately recognize their ads. But, this may be a case where the brand recognition can work against you. Many people adopt a "been there - seen that" attitude and immediately "click on by".

So what do you do to try to achieve your brand recognition? First - a consistency of ad copy will go a long way. It is a proven fact that it takes 5 to 7 exposures to an ad before someone may look further. If you change your ad copy every time you post it, people will not identify with your ad.

If you use the same ad in many different places, people will start to identify with it, and may ultimately take a further look. But that of course raises a dilemma. How do you know if you have a good ad that will draw, or one that needs to be changed?

Ladd Jones, the webmaster at Cashmall.net, who has been advertising on the web for a number of years, may have come up with the answer. What Ladd does is to place three different ads in a Newsletter, that he knows has a good draw and is his proper target market, for the same product. He then tracks the "hits" he gets with each ad. If one is not drawing, he changes that one. When he gets one that is outdrawing all the others on a consistent basis, he then puts on an advertising "blitz" with that one.

His "brand recognition" is his copy. People will begin to identify with his ad, and after seeing it a number of times, and in different places, will usually investigate further.

After identifying a "killer ad", the smart merchant then carries that same theme through to their web site. Again, consistency is the key here.

While you may not have your arches, or own a blimp, your brand recognition is no less important than it is to the "big guys". Unquestionably, it is one of the more important thing you should try to attain.