A brand is all about creating an impression of your company, and letting people know exactly who you are and what you do. It’s about giving people the right perception of what you are all about – and with so much competition in almost every sector, branding that helps you to stand out is crucial. Why else does your small business need a brand identity?
Be Remembered
A good brand means your business will be recognised and remembered. Think of a brand such as McDonald’s or Coca Cola – as soon as we seen the golden arches or the red and white design, we know what it is, and we know what to expect. Branding starts with getting your logo right, as this is what will be on all your promotional material, on your website, on your product packaging, and this is what will be remembered. Designing a great logo doesn’t have to be outsourced, or expensive – you can even design one yourself online with DIY Logo. Once you have your logo, you can create a brand around it that is cohesive and eye-catching.
Be Trusted
A good brand will also foster a feeling of trust between your customers and your business. Taking the time to create a brand shows that you are legitimate and professional, and people are more likely to want to buy from you if they can see that you have put effort, time, and thought into branding. Create a brand that offers customers an emotional response, and your sales will be seriously boosted.
Market Easily
Once you have your brand, marketing becomes a lot easier. You don’t have to start from scratch every time you want to create a new ad because you already have your branding in place – that means you have a good basis from which to start each time. Plus people will already know what to expect, so you don’t have to try so hard to win them over – you can just dive right into telling your story without needing to do any explaining first. It makes your marketing campaigns quicker and easier (and potentially more interesting!).
Be Inspiring
Just as customers love a good, well-thought out brand, so do employees. Employees, to be as productive as possible, and need more than just a job; they need something that will inspire them, keep them interested, give them something to work towards. A good brand that they can be proud of working for will give them exactly that.
Be Successful
When you have a great brand, you will be able to find more customers more easily. It is always said that customer retention is easier and less expensive than finding new customers, and that is true, but a business also needs those new customers if it is truly going to grow – and grow fast. Having a brand enables that to happen. It means that word of mouth ‘advertising’ works better, for example – after all, if you wanted to tell your friend about a great handbag or chocolate cake or computer accessory company that you found but you couldn’t remember the name or think of the brand identity, would you bother? If you knew the brand, would you be more likely to pass on that information? This is why branding is essential for any small business.