How To Succeed At Small Business Branding

Small business branding is an important topic that affects all aspects of any small business.

Since it's the first thing that people will notice about a small business.

So, do you want to discover the key to developing a great brand?

If yes, then the answer is a successful brand strategy.

Since this will assist you in developing a successful marketing strategy that will increase your audience base and sales.

With that said, everything you need to know to create a successful brand strategy will be covered in this guide.

Along with answers to the following questions:

• What is branding?
• How did brands begin?
• Why is branding important?
• How do you build a successful brand?
• What branding services are available?

What is branding?

Branding is the process of attaching a memorable identity to your business.

In other words, it is a process that involves researching, creating, and applying a distinct image to your small business.

All with the aim of conveying the right message to your desired audience.

So, if you want your small business branding to be successful over time, you need to have a brand guideline in place, which is a set of clearly written rules that explain how your brand should be shown.

That way, those who follow it can produce valuable brand assets (e.g. brand name, logo, slogan), and as part of your small business marketing efforts.

How did brands begin?

Well, it has been said that brands first appeared around 2000 BC and were mainly used to represent ownership.

So, an example of this would be livestock branding, which involves a hot iron being applied to the skin of an animal, as a means of identifying its owner.

However, fast forward to 4000 plus years later, and brands are not only being used to represent ownership.

Instead, they are also being used to establish relationships with a desired audience.

Why is branding important?

Small business branding is important for a number of reasons.

With some of these being listed below:

• As a small business owner, it is your job to create a brand that speaks to the people you want to reach.
• It will assist you with your small business's marketing efforts, both in the short term and long term.
• It encourages loyalty between your existing audience base and your small business.
• It will help you and your small business achieve credibility as a thought leader.
• It can shield your small business from threats that come from your competitors.

Brand Comparison

A successful brand takes time to develop.

Since building a strong brand calls for an extensive amount of research, labor, commitment, and innovation.

Additionally, when a small business is successful at branding itself, the people behind it will usually have a good understanding of the behavior and preferences of its audience base.

i) Coca Cola

Having said that, Coca-Cola is a great example of a successful brand.

Since those behind it do a good job of positioning this beverage as an international symbol of American culture.

They should also get credit for their overall marketing, product mix, and distribution strategies as well.

ii) Blockbuster

On the other hand, Blockbuster is an unfortunate example of a failed brand.

This is because it lost its competitive edge and eventually went bankrupt.

Even though it was a big player in the video rental industry.

As a result, Blockbuster went out of business for a number of reasons, such as its inability to adapt to technological advances and its unwillingness to change.

How do you build a successful brand?

Now that you are aware of what a brand is, the following is a step-by-step guide that will help you create a successful brand strategy:

Step 1 - Research your Target Audience and Competition

Before attempting to build a successful brand, you need to know a lot about your target market and your competitors.

Since using this information is essential for developing products or services that your audience will actually want to purchase.

So, as a small business owner, you need to figure out what your target market wants.

That way, you can provide products or services that will meet those needs.

You should also find out what influences your audience to buy similar products and services as well.

Step 2- Establish a Brand Persona

Your brand persona is the character of your small business.

It is the way you want to be known by your desired audience.

So, while there are several ways to go about creating a brand persona, the most common way is to carry out the following types of research:

i) Market Research

Understanding the needs of your prospects.

ii) Competitor Analysis

Analyzing competitors to understand their strategies and goals.

iii) Internal Research

Understanding what your existing clients or customers think about your products or services.

Last but not least, surveys, focus groups, and interviews with clients or customers can also help you with your research.

Step 3- Choosing a Brand Name

A brand name is the name given to a product, service, or business and can be made up of one or more words.

So, a lot of consideration must go into choosing a good brand name.

Since it is a choice that has the power to make or break any small business.

Your brand name should also be memorable and not so rigid.

That way, it won't be difficult to change if you decide to evolve.

Last but not least, the name of your brand should reflect your beliefs and goals, making it clear what your small business does.

With that said, do you need help coming up with a brand name for your business?

If so, why not check out this free business name generator from GoDaddy?

Step 4- Create a Slogan

Your slogan - which is a catchy phrase that describes your brand - can have a big effect on how well your small business does.

Since they are used to quickly make people aware of a brand and tell them what they can expect next.

With that said, the strength of a slogan is determined by the following:

• Its ability to stick in people's minds.
• Whether it accurately captures the intended audience's thoughts and feelings.
• If it is easy to repeat out loud.

In some instances, it could also be useful for you to include an acronym that, when pronounced aloud, produces a catchy phrase or even spells out a phrase, like "eat fresh," in reference to a food company.

Step 5- Incorporate a Color Scheme

A color scheme is a combination of colors that is used to represent a brand.

Since colors used in logos can evoke warm thoughts of trust and friendliness or cold feelings of professionalism.

Additionally, colors used in branding have a long, rich history.

Since red, for instance, is typically associated with power, heat, passion, and dominance.

While blue is typically associated with safety, calmness, or tranquility.

So, your brand's color scheme should correspond with your small business's values, if you want to emotionally connect with your desired audience.

With that said, do you need some help putting a color scheme together for your brand?

If so, why not check out this color scheme generator from Canva?

Step 6- Create a Logo

A logo is a symbol or a design that small businesses use for others to identify them.

Additionally, since your logo is the first thing your audience will see that reflects your small business and its values, designing it is crucial to building your brand.

So, a good logo should stand out and be easy to recognize.

With that said, do you need help designing a logo?

If so, check out this free logo maker from GoDaddy.

Alternatively, please refer to the likes of Canva and GoDaddy Studio, if you want to try designing a logo yourself.

Step 7- Apply your Branding everywhere

A consistent brand strategy can help you project a credible and competent image.

With that said, do remember the following:

• Include relevant brand assets in all of your marketing materials, such as websites, blogs, social media posts, emails, and ads.
• Give your audience a consistent experience with your brand, by using the same color scheme in all of your marketing materials.

Branding Services

Today, branding services for small businesses are easy to find.

So, another important thing to think about, when deciding what to do next, is how much money you want to spend (i.e. budget).

With that said, if you have a small budget and do not want to spend a lot of money, keep in mind that there are a number of low-cost branding services available.

You can find these, for example, on Fiverr and Upwork.

On the other hand, a graphic design or digital marketing agency can do everything for you at a fee that you and the agency both agree to.

What is the onboarding process like?

Well, as a general rule, the first step will be for you to explain what you want done.

Then, once this is clear, a good agency will go ahead with the creation of valuable brand assets.

Conclusion

So, in summary, small businesses face a number of challenges.

With one of those challenges being that they need to market themselves well.

However, one of the best ways for small businesses to do this is through successful branding.

Given that, branding helps to set them apart from others.

Lastly, when getting to work on your small business's brand, please keep the following in mind:

• Research
• Brand Persona
• Brand Name
• Slogan
• Color Scheme
• Logo
• Brand Consistency

So, what are you waiting for?

Don't delay.

Get to work on your small business branding today.

Finally, do contact me if you require any further assistance.

Since I am willing to assist you, as an experienced Marketer with over ten years of experience.

Alternatively, feel free to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn.