Branding Your Small Business: Tips, Ideas & Strategy

What is a brand? In simple terms it is the total experience your customers and potential customers get from interacting with your company. To establish trust and credibility a brand needs to communicate what the company does, and how it does it. Small business branding requires not just establishing a rapport with its customers but believes in regular interactions with them through posts, images and content shared on the website and social media. Branding is as essential for small businesses as it is for big ones.

Listed below are some small business branding tips which can help you build a strong brand without burning a hole in your pocket.

Be innovative and unique:

Try and carve out your own identity, instead of emulating other brands. In order to stand out you will need to think differently than your competitors. When you plan your small business branding strategy ask yourself what sets you apart from the rest and what it is that you offer your customers which others in the same industry do not?     

Quality products and services:

If your products or services are sub-standard, no branding and marketing strategy can save your small business. Many companies, once successful, stop giving relevance to the quality they offer their customers. So before you decide on branding your small business understand that even the strongest brand will suffer if their products or services are average or below average.

Name and logo of company:

The recognition of your business will start with the name of your company, because that is what will appear on your website, letterhead, business cards, products, and social media and on every promotional material, whether in print or online, as part of your small business branding. This is what will identify your company and the products or services that you offer.

Knowing your audience:

Much before you think of your small business branding strategy, you need to ascertain the pulse of the audience. There is no point wasting money, time and effort in developing your brand without knowing what it is that customers want. To understand their needs, habits and requirements it is important to talk to them. Start up businesses, keen on building a brand have to know their target audience well.    

Consistency:

Many businesses in their attempt to woo customers get confused with the message they want to convey. While their tone may be very professional and serious on their website, they adopt a more light-hearted one for social media. This will only confuse your customers or potential customers and will end up harming your small business branding attempts. Ensure that every aspect of your business is as good as the products or services you offer, be it your logo, design, website, promotional products, marketing methods or even the content you post. The consistency of your brand is what will familiarize your customers with your business and eventually build trust among them.

Involve your employees:

Apart from communicating the purpose of your company to your staff, you also need to ensure that they are able to convey the same to every customer. Your staff needs to be in sync with your thoughts and goals and having employees who are as passionate about branding your small business. Then half the work is already done.

Hiring a professional:

Some of us are strong proponents of DIY but no matter how efficient or talented we are there will be areas which are not our strengths. Seek help or hire a professional or agency to channel your ideas and put them across in the best way possible, instead of you wasting resources and making a mess of your small business branding strategy.

Your brand is far more than your company name or logo or just your products and services. It is about your dreams, goals, values and your quality. It is a vision you have envisaged for your company and if done the correct way it will have the right impact on the minds of your customers. It is this small business branding and marketing which will set you apart from your competitors and far above them.

How to make a small business establish a compelling online presence?  Get in touch with our branding experts to devise your online brand strategy!