We get it – as a business owner, you have a lot on your plate, especially in the stages when your business is still in its infancy. For this reason, developing a solid brand strategy is oftentimes easily overlooked in favor of other pressing business concerns like who’s gonna take out the trash or where your next client will come from.
But we’re gonna tell it to you straight, honey. If you keep overlooking your branding your business will suffer. Trust us when we say that it pays to understand the pivotal role brand development plays for a small business. So before you put all your attention on profits and productivity take a look at this quick guide to help you gain a better understanding of small business branding and how you can establish a brand that is both successful and timeless.
Related Post: What Happens During a Brand Audit?
Considerations for Small Business Brand Development
Having a successful business strategy, brand strategy and a strong marketing plan usually come hand-in-hand. If time and effort is taken to build a strong brand, it won’t be difficult to create a marketing plan to complement it.
There are five distinct considerations to make when developing a brand. These considerations will help map out the blueprint for the brand you want to create.
1. Determine your brand heart
What drives your business? Think about your vision, mission, core values and purpose. What do you want to be known for in the industry? This is the time to truly consider what makes your products or services unique, and how they can make an impact on people’s lives, and what you want to be known for in the industry. Taking some time to reflect on your brand’s heart will greatly help you build a brand identity that will make a difference.
2. Understand who you’re trying to reach
When you’ve figured out your brand’s heart, the next step is looking into the end-users of your products and services, aka your target audience. It’s helpful to break down your primary and secondary audience into personas. Even give them a name! Consider Dave’s interests and dislikes, Linda’s fears, and motivations. Does he love his kids but hates his job? Maybe he’s a good fit for your coaching service! Does she fear failure and is motivated by competition? She’d be a perfect fit to join your Crossfit gym! Being specific about your target audience will allow you to develop a brand that will resonate with the group of people who will most benefit from your products and services.
3. Do It Better Than Your Competitors
What’s the competition like? What products have already been made available by your competitors and how similar or different is your product? How do you serve your clients better as a service provider? Does your competitor value eco-friendly practices? They say imitation is the highest form of flattery – so keep this top of mind! While you certainly shouldn’t copy their efforts, keep a close eye on what your competitors are doing and build on it to offer up something more appealing to set yourself apart. It’s really all about differentiation. By understanding your competition and how it’s perceived in the market place you can craft unique ways to make your brand stand apart.
4. Give your Brand a Personality
All brands have distinctive personalities whether we notice it initially or not. An effective brand personality will humanize your brand and make it more relatable to your audience, boosting your brand awareness and brand loyalty and differentiating you from your competition. Your brand personality can be playful, serious, adventurous, or traditional. Think about how it will play into your touch points throughout your client or customer’s interaction with you—do you curse in your social media posts? Are your automated emails casual or professional? Even these minute details shape the way your brand is perceived. Choose the personality that feels appropriate for your brand and that you know you can breathe life into.
5. Integrating Your Brand Into Your Business
Brand recognition starts when your customers start associating your products with the brand that’s behind them. As time progresses, you will be able to build trust and awareness among your customers if you have built a strong brand.
Branding Packages for Small Business
Now that you are aware of the impact that a good branding strategy has on a business that is starting out, you know that it’s a task that shouldn’t be put on the back-burner.
Branding plays a critical role in the future success of a business and taking it seriously will ensure that your business will have a timeless brand that will be remembered.
If you are new to brand development, we’d love to chat with you! Honey Creative offers branding packages for small businesses that aim to provide creative resources that make your story easier to tell so that you can focus on fulfilling your mission.
Get Honey Creative’s branding design in your arsenal and build a brand people can trust today!
