The concept of branding can be confusing, especially as a small business. How do you create a brand that differentiates you from other larger, powerhouse companies on a small business budget? Branding is a marketing practice that gives your product, service, and/or business an identity that customers can connect and relate to. A branding strategy is intended to give your business a competitive edge in the market and create lasting relationships with your audience. Here, we are going to outline how to build a brand concept.
- Define Your Brand
In this first step you are going to have to review your product and/or service and define the market and audience you are looking to target. This knowledge was most likely determined with your initial business plan, but reviewing it in regards to brand positioning is important. Doing so will help you develop your brand’s “personality” or “identity”. Your brand’s identity should align with your customers in the sense that they will want to take on the brand identity as their own and in turn become ambassadors for your brand.
- Build Long-Term Relationships with Your Customers
A main goal of your marketing strategy should be to create trust with customers through honest branding. Determine what drives your business and what your values are and make sure that you are staying true to those and that they are reflected in your branding. When directly communicating with customers, make sure you are keeping branding in mind. Promotions are a great opportunity for boosting your brand’s mission. Maybe this is done through price reductions, gifts, and/or loyalty programs. Fostering these long term relationships are very valuable to your brand.
- Make Sure Your Brand Messaging is Consistent
Don’t mistake this rule for being repetitive. You want your messaging to follow a well-thought, cohesive theme without being overdone. Diverse messaging can be achieved while remaining tied together.
- Be Innovative & Bold
Consumer behavior is ever-changing so make sure you are being flexible and inventive with your branding to meet these needs. As a small business you have an advantage over bigger brands that have to follow a certain script when it comes to being bold. Try to break free from the over-practiced notion that putting your logo on everything is branding. Generate some intrigue with your messages so that the consumers can reveal more about your brand for themselves.
Simply put, branding is the forming of emotions and a relationship around your audience’s thoughts and perceptions. If you build a strong connection with your followers they will draw their own, relatable conclusions about your brand and take on its identity thus, sharing it with others.
We love working with small businesses in Kansas City and giving their businesses some life with our branding work. Check out some of our branding projects below!
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