Having a strong brand for your business leaves an everlasting impression with customers, especially when you’re a small business fighting to make your name known. A big common oversight that small business owners make, is failing to establish brand guidelines. When a powerful guideline is in place, the business looks tidy, professional, and well established. It all helps convey your company’s attitude and as Lindsay Kolowich, Marketing Blog Writer, well defines it, branding shows “what its values are, how you communicate its concepts, and which emotions you want your customers to feel when they interact with your business.”
Positioning
Branding is the driving force that positions your business within the market. Where does your company stand against competitors? A great way to tackle this is to do a good old SWOT Analysis of your business. Here’s the breakdown:
Strengths – Define what sets your business apart from it’s competitors. What are the advantages your customers are getting by going to you?
Weaknesses – What areas in your business can you see flaws in, things that other competitors have against you?
Opportunities – Define areas for improvement and exploration opportunities. What unique trends can you identify in the market that complements your business? Is there new technology that your business can take advantage of?
Threats – These are things in your business environment that could work against the growth of the company. (i.e., Government regulations, demographic changes, etc.)
When all of these are done, then define your brand. What’s the vision for your business? Will you be getting help with your marketing from a niche-relevant agency like Home Service Direct. If so, do they understand your vision? What’s the mission behind everything the company does? What’s the spirit of it all? Is your business “magical” like Disney or “adventurous” like GoPro? These are great questions to answer with your marketing team so you can establish strategic messaging that coincide with the business’ positioning.
Logo & Color Scheme
Is your logo something you pulled from ClipArt back in 1997? If you’ve answered yes, please read on. The logo of your company is the first thing your customers see and studies show, it takes less than a second for viewers to analyze your business based off of it, so make it a good impression! Color schemes also play an integral role of how well your customers perceive your business. This is especially true in the cosmetics industry, where the cosmetic packaging and color schemes have a significant impact in increasing sales. Check out this chart below to see an array of colors and the emotions established with them. It’s not a coincidence that a lot of food places like McDonald’s, In-N-Out, and Tommy’s all have red and gold for their company colors.
This can be a long and deep process and if you’re at a loss for what colors and images your business should entail, seek a professional graphic designer for assistance. Once you have sought assistance consider ways in which you might incorporate your logo into public view. If you have offices, consider highlighting your logo in all areas, especially the reception where a customer or client is most likely to see. Try highlighting your logo with these fully customizable neon fixtures available at www.neonfilter.com for a stylish way to show off your brand’s logo.
Along with its design, you may want to look for ways to stand out and get noticed by the audience. You can do this by pitching a large sign outside your business to announce your presence to the world. You can even get some smaller signages from firms like National Signs for your front door and windows paired with your official logo. Whether you have customers or not, this signage can help send important messages about your company. With a bit of planning and placement, you can strengthen your branding, assist people in finding their way around, and inspire your employees.
Consistency
Do a walk through of all the materials that your customer sees. Does your brochure reflect the latest logo and color scheme? Glance over all your social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, Website), and make sure all the information is up to date but more importantly, if the messaging is consistent. Do you offer unmatched quality on your website, but your Facebook page tells your customers that you’re similar to other strong businesses in the neighborhood? Branding is like a bonsai tree and it’s a constant game of trimming and changing elements to cater to your audience. Solidifying your business’ presence creates long-lasting impressions on your customers. The easier it is for people to remember your business, the more likely it is to gain new customers and grow.
