No matter the size of your business, business brand will always be central to your ultimate success. Some people tend to think that so long they can get a steady number of clients through their front doors; then branding doesn’t matter, and it should be only the concern of the giant businesses. This is a limiting way of thinking because even the “giant businesses” started at some point and were once referred to as small businesses.
Therefore, as a small business, it is imperative to take all the measures needed to set your foot right with regards to branding. Presented here are sure ways for igniting your small business brand so that you get the momentum needed to achieve growth and success in your small business-:
Unique
The basis of branding is to set your business apart from the competition and position yourself to the potential audience as the provider of a particular solution to their problems or needs. The solution in most cases is a unique service or a unique product that will help them solve some of their pressing needs. This cannot be achieved by using a concept that is already existing or being used by another business in the market.
This is where uniqueness comes in. Ensure that your line of products or services is not the same as the ones already being offered and if this is the case, try and add something new that will give the potential customers a reason to come and buy from you. Without something unique about your business, it will be nearly impossible to establish a great brand for your small business.
Participate in the community
Most of the multinationals and big corporations whose brands have become household names are actively involved with their communities. For a small business, you may not have the financial muscles to engage your community in the manner that the big dogs do it, but you can still find subtle ways to take part in the community events.
With the advent of the internet, this can now be achieved so easily through the use of the social media with platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many others. In this manner, you won’t just be announcing your presence to the community members, but also, you will be giving them a strong reason to work with you since you have shown that you too are concerned with their affairs. Therefore, expend some of your resources and time in working with the community as part of building your small business brand.
Have a good name and a great logo
Customers of a strong brand will recognize the brand easily whenever they the name or the logo. It implies that recognition, hence branding begins with the name and the logo. It’s thus imperative that you have a good name and a great logo for your small business. These two will also in most cases appear on your branding materials such as letterheads, business cards, social networks, products, promotional materials and anywhere else where you would want to have the presence of your brand felt.
While thinking about the name and the logo, have in mind certain components such as the simplicity, versatility, timelessness, and uniqueness. The last thing you want is to settle for a name that is either too difficult to call or remember.
You also don’t want to have a logo designed based on fashion whereby you will have to redo the logo again when the fashion is over because it shall also be outdated. You can discuss more with your graphic designer how you can have a quality logo that will help in driving your business brand to another level.
Use a consistent brand voice
What you tell your audience is important, but don’t forget how you say it. Your small business brand voice refers to the language as well as the personality that you together with your employees will use in delivering your brand message to your customers and potential clients. For you to have a successful brand, you must find and develop a unique and consistent voice. Without this, there won’t be any coherence in your marketing and branding efforts, thus jeopardizing your chances of creating a strong brand for your business.
Consistency in marketing materials
Finally, you need to be consistent with all your marketing materials and across all your marketing channels. The quality of the various marketing materials must also be the same and be reflected across the board. For instance, the message passed to your audience in the social media should be the same message that the audience will find when they get redirected to your website. If you don’t have any consistency, everything will be disjointed, and this will confuse the customers in addition to making you appear less professional thus losing a chance to create a strong brand.