Surprisingly, there is a substantial amount of small businesses that don’t understand the importance of building their brand. The assumption when most people hear the word brand is that it applies to how cool or memorable your logo is or how catchy the name might be. While both of these are important, the real concept behind the brand and what it means to your business is a little different.
In simple terms, a brand is the perception that a customer, consumer or community has about the business. It is where the mind goes when it hears the name. Think Nike or Dell or Wal-Mart. When you hear those names, you can think of a specific experience or concept; running, computer software or lower prices.
When you can attribute a certain keyword, product or a service to the company, that typically means it has established itself as a household brand. Even with using larger companies as examples, don’t have the perception that having a strong brand is really only relevant or specific to large corporations. A strong brand for a small business can impact how the business identifies and could be the difference between a successful one and a stagnant one.
So what does it take to really build a brand? Where do you start? Here’s a a couple of things to consider as you think about your brand and its’ effectiveness in your small business.
Who Are You
What is the one thing that defines who you are and what you do. Are you the neighborhood mom and pop store that sells amazing homemade pies? Are you the small store that sells the best fresh meat and produce?
The key here is to remember that the business may provide several different items or provide a multitude of services, but what is that ONE thing that sets your business apart from the others? What is the one thing you can do to guarantee your customers remember you. Think of it this way—figure out what you can commit to and promise to deliver the same results every single time, no excuses.
Your brand is essentially your identity.
Remain Creative and Innovative
Secondly, don’t mistake that a small business that perhaps doesn’t provide the same kind of services as a Fortune 500 company doesn’t need to work hard to say relevant. Another way to build your brand is by always figuring out ways to market your business to the right segments in a creative way. Don’t be afraid to be bold and consider investing more in the marketing strategies of of your business. Mosaico PR, marketing strategy experts, have said that “knowing how to market your business and who to market to will create more opportunities for growth and expansion no matter the size of your business.”
These are two short, yet powerful steps your small business can take as you begin building your brand. Your customers will definitely start to believe in you and your promises when they see it in action. Your business will start to take flight when you get creative in your marketing and find a few ways to stay innovative. Now is the time to start drawing in loyal customers and keeping them there!
