4 Ways to Brand Your Small Business the Easy Way

Small business owners have to wear many hats. Since their budgets are small, many of the tasks that are allocated to departments in corporations have to be performed by the business owner. This includes marketing. Branding a small business is an important step that some owners overlook because of resources or time. To get a head start on the competition, there are four ways you can easily brand your small business yourself.

Ask Yourself Questions

Before you can go anywhere, you first need a clear picture of your business’ identity. Sit down with a piece of paper and a pen to brainstorm your business values, history, goals, and purpose.

Once you have these ideas mapped out, you can begin to flesh out what makes you stand out from the competition. Many owners start this step by comparing themselves with the competition and highlighting all the ways that they are better. This is the wrong approach. Instead, focus on positive statements on what makes you unique and establish a strong and independent point of difference.

Look back at your brainstorming about your business values and goals. Find the key in those statements that makes your product or service unique. This could be a customer service aspect or how your product solves a problem no one else has solved yet. Being open, authentic, and positive about how your business is unique will draw customers to your brand.

Find What Your Audience Wants to Know

Once you understand your business, it is time to understand the audience. To start, there are two major sections of your audience – the overall and the niche. The overall audience is the pool of potential customers, past customers, and current customers. The niche segments are the members of your audience who fit the demographics of your perfect customers. If you are already an established business, look to your current loyal or repeat customers to define who your niche is.

Once you define the major sections of your audience, you need to dig deeper. Find out what their problems are and what they are looking for in your product or service. Understand why and how they make purchases and what channels they use to interact with your industry.

You want to spend the majority of your marketing efforts directed toward your niche’s needs and desires. The niche audience is more likely to convert to loyal customers. Casting a wider net will reduce the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and does not allow you to create targeted value for specific segments of your audience.

Present Your Branded Message

Once you have decided what your unique value proposition is for your business and what your niche audience wants to see, it is time to craft and present your branded message. This can include your slogan, your logo, web design and any marketing materials you push. Keep your message across all marketing platforms consistent, authoritative, and clear. You want to establish an open and honest communication with your audience and even stakeholders. Make your brand one to be trusted and craft effective and long-term relationships.

You also want to have a certain eye catching style that is instantly recognizable with your brand. This means investing in a great graphic or web designer that can make your brand message come to life visually. You will be able to use the designer’s talent for your logo, your website, email marketing, brochures, flyers, social media images, and more. These images will evoke a specific emotion in your audience that pushes them to click, to call, to visit, or to buy.

Stick to It

What you have created is your branded message. You need to keep it consistent. The more you stick to your branded message, the more people will associate your images, buzzwords, and offerings with your specific company. This allows your brand to become sustainable and drive greater profits. Instead of being known for a certain product or service, you will be known as a familiar face and feeling to your audience.

When you research your brand and your audience, create a compelling and consistent message, and display that message in a compelling and visual way, you can develop brand recognition and personal relationships with your audience.

More information and tips on branding your small business can be found on the Magicdust website.