Is building your brand your top business priority?
Far too many small business owners who are starting their businesses put all their attention into their marketing and sales focus – ignoring the fact that their business is also a brand. Is this you?
As tempting as it may be to put off your branding investment until you’re up and running, this is a mistake that could cost you dearly in both the short term and into the future. Failing to invest time, attention, and effort into your branding (including brand identity) can confuse consumers and result in you missing out on growth opportunities.
The Importance of Branding
Small businesses, in particular, need to compete with a vast number of alternatives online, and the key to success is creating and cultivating emotional connections with target audiences.
Your brand is the face of your business/company, and how people identify and differentiate it. Done well, it helps you build a positive reputation and foster trust and loyalty among your customers and prospects. Robust branding is vital.
What is branding? It represents the actions you take to build your company’s image. Branding incorporates your:
· Name
· Logo
· Symbolism
· Design
· Color Scheme
· URL
· Tagline
· Tone
To give you a starting point, here are some of our top basic branding tips to get you started.
Branding Tips for Small Business
· Brand Identity Definition
Your brand identity is the pool of tangible branding elements that combine to create a singular brand image. This means taking a deep dive to understand your purpose, the niche you will occupy, how your offering benefits consumers, your values, mission, and voice. It can’t be generic, and it must stand out. You must also be committed to it in the long term – so it needs to be authentic and resonate with you as well as your target consumers.
· Identify Your Target Audience
Attempting to appeal to too wide a customer base may dilute your messaging and make it feel generic. Know who your ideal customers are, and what problems have that you offer the right solutions for. Create your brand to reflect your product offering and distinctly appeal to this audience.
· Compose Brand Guidelines
Create a resource to help you maintain consistency for your brand – especially if you have employees, stakeholders, or are outsourcing your marketing, content creation, etc. These guidelines should incorporate everything from your mission and vision to your brand story, values, logo, color scheme, typography, imagery, copy tone and voice, and target audience personas.
· Differentiation
The modern marketplace is exceedingly crowded – so you need to stand out. Determine what makes YOU different and focus your branding strategy on that. Highlight your unique product offering, exceptional customer service, locality (if relevant), distinct personality, etc.
· Consistency
Upon settling on your brand, you MUST remain consistent. This means consistency across everything you do – your website, packaging, communications, product offerings, content, social media, tone, voice, and customer service.
· Outsource Branding
Unless you have done this before, branding can be overwhelming – and a professional branding expert can be invaluable. Creating an exciting brand that resonates need not be expensive, and the right provider will collaborate with you to understand your business and vision and help make them a reality.
Conclusion
Your brand is your business’s most important asset, and it underpins your marketing, messaging, and engagement. Hiring a professional branding agency or consultant (or a marketing agency that offers distinct, bespoke branding services) is a great way to make the most of your brand, benefit enormously in myriad ways, and vastly improve your business’s ROI.
