(Akiit.com) Branding is vital for all businesses. It is just as critical for small companies as it is large businesses. However, it is not always easy to define your brand, nor is it easy to maintain it. It requires a careful and considered approach. With that being said, read on to discover the different steps that you should take when building a brand for your small business.
Begin by defining your brand – The first thing that you need to do is define your brand. To do this, you need to take a look at the services and/or products that your business provides. You should then pinpoint the market space that it occupies, as well as researching your customers’ rational and emotional needs and their concerns too. This will help you to create a brand character that
promotes your company, differentiating you from other businesses in the market and connecting your customer base.
What drives your business? – This is a key question you need to ask yourself when building a small brand for your business. You need to think about what your company believes in, the purpose of it, and who you are brand heroes are. This can help you to form your brand’s character and identity for communications, as well as establishing positioning from an emotive point of view.
Think of your brand as a person – It can really help if you think of your brand as a person. Every one of us is an individual and our character is made up of purposes, values, and beliefs, all of which define the person we are and the other people that we connect with. Not only this but our personality determines what we say, how we dress, and the way in which we behave in different situations. This is why it is beneficial to think of your brand as a person. Consider the character of it and your brand will really flourish.
Recognise that slapping your logo on everything is not branding – A lot of people think that branding simply refers to putting your logo on everything. This is certainly not the case. The future of branding is engaging and fluid. You need to respect the intelligence of your consumers by not giving everything away up front. Allow them to unearth more details about your brand for themselves and generate intrigue.
Make sure there is consistency throughout – The key to a successful brand is consistency. It does not matter whether you run a retail store or a private school, your brand needs to be consistent. Let’s take schools as a prime example. You need to make sure that everything from your school signs to brochures have the same design and voice. You also need to make sure that you speak with parents and potential customers with the same, consistent tone of voice. This ensures that your private educational institution has a consistent character so that parents know what to expect. The same applies to all types of businesses.
Don’t mimic the look of big brands or chains – Next, while it is always important to see what the competition is up to so that you can see what works and what does not, you should never simply copy the look of big brands or chains. Instead, you need to carve out your own, distinct identity. The only way to create a brand that truly works and connects with others is to make sure that it is 100 per cent unique.
Be daring, bold, and innovative – This carries on from the former point regarding the fact that you should never just mimic the look of chains and big brands. You need to be daring, bold and innovative. You need to stand for something you believe in. As a small business, this is your power. This is what makes you different from the big firms that seem impossible to connect with.
As you can see, there is a lot that needs to be considered when it comes to building a brand for your small business. Nevertheless, if you follow the advice that has been presented above, you should have no trouble building the perfect brand for your small company.
Staff Writer; Bob Shaw