Some small business owners don’t put much thought into their branding, but this is often a big mistake. This is because branding gives your business an identity, making it stand out from competitors.
And it seems that branding is more important than ever before. The rise of digital and social media marketing mean that most customers see hundreds of brands every day – and they can order products from anywhere, so location is rarely an issue.
So if you want to stand up to the competition, one of the best things you can do is create a clear brand for your business. Here’s how branding can help your small business.
1. Branding For Small Businesses: It Makes Your Business More Recognisable
One of the main benefits of branding for small businesses is that it makes your business more recognisable. If you have a strong logo with memorable colours, your brand is more likely to stick in people’s minds – so even if they don’t buy something today, it is possible they will remember you in the future and buy from you then.
2. It Will Develop Trust
A lack of branding will make your business seem inexperienced and unprofessional, which means customers are less likely to trust you or buy from you. A well-designed, professional logo and clear brand values (such as being affordable, or being niche) will make your company far more trustworthy to potential customers. This means that they are more likely to follow you online and buy your products.
3. You Will Have More Loyal Customers
A one-time customer is good, but a loyal customer who comes back again and again is much better – and branding can help you to get more loyal customers. This is because people are more likely to buy from businesses that reflect their values; for instance, millennials are more likely to buy from companies that try to lessen their impact on the environment.
So when you create a brand for your business, think about the values of your target audience; what do they care about? What can you do to set your business apart from competitors?
4. It Isn’t Expensive
Small business owners tend to have a tight budget, so they may consider branding to be too expensive. However this isn’t the case; if you want, you can create a brand for free! Simply use a free content creation tool (such as Canva) to choose a colour scheme and create a logo.
5. Your Employees Will Be More Motivated
Finally creating a brand can help to motivate your employees. Research has found that people tend to be happier and more motivated if they work for a company that has similar values to them. In fact, employees may even be more productive!
So if you want to boost morale in the office, make sure that your brand aligns with your employees and their values. You could also create t-shirts or hoodies with the brand logo to create more of a community feeling in the office (although we suggest saying these are optional to wear, rather than mandatory!).
