Any business owner who dreams of making it big one day knows just how difficult running a business is. From working day and night to build a strong consumer base to making sure all your obligations are met, running a business requires strong will, determination and, above all, endless devotion. Because of all the things you – as a business owner – are trying to accomplish on the daily basis, prioritizing your work-related efforts can sometimes seem impossible.
With all the things you need to take care of, it can easily seem that branding is not something you should include in your list of priorities. However, this can’t be further away from the truth. Every business, no matter the size, can greatly benefit from creating a strong brand as soon as possible because creating a brand and raising strong awareness around that brand will allow your business to reach its maximum potential faster and easier. Keep in mind that branding a business does involve a lot of work, but if done right, it won’t take long before your brand generates enough attention and interest. To find out more, please read on.
Be careful with choosing the message your brand will promote
Since your brand is basically just an extension of your business, it has to reflect you and your company’s image. So, before choosing the brand message you wish to present your potential customers with, make sure you clearly define your target audience first. This will help you determine the tone of voice you need to use, as well as your brand’s logo and all other aspects of creating a brand. For example, a business selling children’s clothes should opt for a gentle tone of voice, and mostly focus on emphasizing the fact that their items are high-quality and safe because their target audience will mostly consist of parents who – naturally – only want what’s best for their kids.
Think long and hard about your logo
Since humans are visual beings, it’s important that you pay special attention to creating your logo. You’ll need to think long and hard about the colors, fonts and symbols you wish to be featured on your logo, and you’ll need to coordinate all of them with your brand identity, as well as your audience. For example, a company selling the outdoor equipment and camping gear should consider using colors like blue and green – because they represent nature, clear, easily readable fonts and symbols like trees, mountains or other similar signs that can be found in nature.
Trademark your brand
Once you’ve created a logo, your next step should be getting the exclusive rights to use that logo. This is particularly important because you wouldn’t want to risk having a competitor use a very similar logo because that would only create confusion among your audience, which would definitely have a negative effect on your efforts to relate to them and create a long-lasting relationship. Therefore, register your brand and logo at your local federal trademark offices before you even start promoting your brand to avoid any inconveniences. This will also allow you to see if the logo you opted for is already being used by somebody else, which will allow you to change it in order to avoid any lawsuits or other unpleasantries.
Make sure that your branding is consistent
Another important thing to mention is branding consistency. This means that you need to make sure that your brand image is identical across all the platforms and mediums used for promoting it. Your office space should also be designed with your brand in mind, and there are various experts you can hire to help you out. For example, professionals from a good architecture firm from Hong Kong can help you implement your brand in your office design, creating a consistent look throughout the space. Taking proper care of this will bring numerous benefits, as people will instantly recognize your brand – as well as your products – as soon as they see your logo, which will make reaching out to them significantly easier.
Branding is not only important for attracting customers
When running a small business, having top talent working for you becomes invaluable. Now, without a strong brand presence, attracting such workforce would be almost impossible. However, a strong brand will help you in this endeavor immensely, as high-quality workers are not only looking for work, but they also wish to be a part of something greater than themselves, which is something that can be achieved by working for a strong brand. Therefore, reinforce your brand to your best abilities, not only to attract more customers but to also arm yourself with the best possible employees.
There isn’t a single business too great or small for branding. Even startups can greatly benefit from branding themselves, though this is more often than not out of their budgeting capacities. However, if you have the means necessary, don’t think twice about branding your small business, because the benefits it will bring will be opulent.
Cooper Klein
Cooper Klein is an entrepreneur with a degree in Marketing and a regular contributor to SmoothDecorator. In order to spend more time with his family, Cooper decided to take a break, and he’s currently working from home as a blogger. You can find him on Twitter.