Most of us think about a logo whenever we hear the term small business branding. Of course, a logo is a part of the overall branding process—a vital one, but it is not the whole process itself. It is much more than designing fancy logos and adopting strategies that make your sales go up by a notch.
Branding includes all the efforts put by a business in making the business recognizable, trustworthy, and consistent over the years. It doesn’t only have to be the tangible aspects such as logos and color themes. The intangible aspects of a brand too come under the umbrella.
The trust customers put in a product comes through branding efforts. Moreover, the capability of a business to come into the buyer’s mind is also a part of the branding process. Even though we live in the digital marketing era, these factors are still consistent for a great branding process.
With this, the debate of small business branding opens. Not everyone supports the idea of spending dollars here. However, we see it as an absolute necessity and came up with some actionable tips for the small business branding process:
Stand Out With a Logo
Logos and brands have a strong connection.
Think about soft drinks.
Your mind will automatically come up with either Coke or Pepsi’s logo (Not necessary to have a favourite out of the two, though).
Why does your mind come up with these two soft drink brands? Because they have imprinted their logos in the consumer’s minds with consistent branding efforts.
However, being in a small business, you may not be able to throw in cash like these industry giants. Still, you can develop a logo that defines your brand identity and connects your customers with your brand.
You need to take care of the logotype, logo style, and the fonts you’re going to choose.
All these aspects need to be thoroughly unique to make a long-lasting impact in your customer’s mind.
Use an Email Signature
When in business, we cannot deny the effectiveness of email marketing in today’s digital world.
With over 64% of the small business owners using email marketing as a marketing channel, one cannot deny its relevance.
No matter if your business operates in a brick-and-mortar setting or an online setting, make sure to have an email signature. The most effective email signatures typically consist of:
- Contact details
- A clear picture
- Social media handles links
These essential parts of the email signature ensure quick access to your business.
Be the Expert of Your Field
When a business takes up the responsibility of educating its customers, it becomes invincible. For that to achieve, however, your business needs to work on the content part that deals with the customer’s pain points.
Your business can arrange branded seminars (or webinars), sponsored events where you educate the masses about your brand. That can include a roadshow as well where you use your promotional efforts wisely and make people see your brand through an educational session.
Work on the Business Slogan
When I say ‘Just Do it, ‘ your brain automatically shouts out ‘Nike.’ This is the power of a strong slogan. One may argue that we are talking too much about the big brands, but keep in mind that all these giant brands also had the first day. So why can your business not have its share?
When it comes to business slogans, you need to be extremely careful about your customers’ choices. Be vigilant over drafting a slogan that doesn’t disturb the customers emotionally. Keep in mind all the inclusivity principles your brand believes in. Lastly, be consistent with whatever slogan you come up with.
Promote the slogan in your marketing campaigns, and make it one of the points of your identity.
Use Social Media to Stay Connected With the Customers
Just like the email signature, social media presence is also an absolute necessity. With 4.48 billion social media users in the world, you cannot deny its importance. The platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are buzzing with potential for emerging small businesses.
With a consistent content strategy and a posting schedule, your social media branding efforts will reap unmatchable benefits.
With social media campaigns, you can use the platforms to convey your brand voice and activate positive chatter around your business.
Not only does social media work on the promotional part, but it also helps your business connect with the customers on a personal level.
Talk to Your Customers Through Video Marketing
While many businesses still do not recognize the importance of video marketing, they will in the upcoming years. Video marketing is one of the most effective branding ways for your small business, and it does not cost an arm and a leg.
All you need to do is use all the branding elements in your videos and make sharable video content. With video content, there are no boundaries. You can make educational videos that showcase your brand, you can go funny, or even you can become a solution provider through your video content.
When you use video as a part of your branding efforts, make sure to hire professional help for better results.
Build a Website
This may sound cliche to have a website for your business, but it should be the priority one should have in the business world. Just like the logo and slogan, a website is also a part of your identity.
A website works as the face in the digital world for businesses. They can break the news regarding their business, promote upcoming products, engage with the audience through community building, and have a blog to get more visibility.
In short, a website can give a one-stop platform to a business to cater to every need of the customers.
Take Away
These actionable small business branding efforts may take some time to garner results. However, none of them will go in vain if your business wants to make its mark through consistent efforts.
So don’t wait. Jump right in there!
