Branding: Identify and Differentiate Your Small Business

Brands aren't just for large companies—they can make small businesses stand out from the crowd. Understand the components of your brand and how to use them effectively in your marketing and communications.

According to marketing guru Seth Godin, “A brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one service over another.“

Effective branding will clearly deliver your message, confirm your credibility, connect to your target market and motivate your buyer.

 
What makes up a brand?

A brand is made up of a logo, name, message and positioning.  A brand is often called a business’ “identity”, but branding is really the personification of the core business  and its values, not only what it looks like. When customers connect with you it’s because they share the same values and beliefs that your brand projects.

Successful brands and businesses must be relevant to consumers, unique in relation to the competition and credible. Effective branding leads to higher sales and better differentiation from your competition.    

Tips for Building Your Brand

1.    Define Your Brand

Think about the products or services your business offers, pinpoint the space in the market it occupies and the emotional and rational needs of your potential customers. Your brand character should connect with your target market and differentiate your business. 

2.    Professionally Designed Logo

A robust, professionally designed logo can be the foundation of your brand and the lasting visual depiction of your firm. A good graphic designer can interpret your brand's strategy and create a unique, professional look for your business.  Your brand should emphasize your key differentiators and help you communicate, in a visual image, what sets you apart.

3.    Be Unique

Your brand should be distinct from your competitors, with its own personality and unique characteristics. Consider hiring an experienced graphic designer who can help you create a distinctive, professional look for your business.  

4.    Positioning

Positioning is the conceptual place you want to own in the target customer’s mind. It is one of the most important elements of branding. Try to establish yourself in a specific place within the hearts and minds of your potential customers. Look carefully at the positioning of your competition.

5.    Strong Tag Line and Messaging

The corporate tag line is an often overlooked and under-appreciated part of a brand’s marketing message. A strong tag line should be around three to six words that really highlight the core product or service and benefit your business provides in some way that sticks in a customer's mind.

Common Branding Mistakes

1.     Not Identifying with Your Target Audience

Know your target well and be sure your brand can easily connect with and attract them.

2.     Inconsistency

Managing your brand is vital. Make sure everything is consistent, from the fonts and colors to your messaging. Don’t let your prospects become confused about who you are and what you offer.

Incorporate your brand into your marketing consistently. Make sure that no matter where your business is seen (web site, brochure, ads, emails, product packaging, social media, etc.) your customers and prospect experiences the same, high-quality branding. Establishing a constant, recognizable brand for your business is crucial to capturing and keeping clients. 

Results Marketing: How to Make Your Marketing Materials Work Harder for your Business

Your customers and prospects are savvy buyers but they're bombarded by tons of marketing messages from vendors like you. Your success as a small business can hinge on the quality of your marketing materials (brochures, Web sites, newsletters, blogs, etc.) and how well they communicate the benefits of your products or services.

Mistakes to Avoid

Many marketing pieces don't work well because they are written from the company's perspective and not from the buyer's. Your potential customers are interested in finding out "what's in it for them?". What problem will you be solving, what process will you make easier, or what benefit will the customer derive from doing business with you? Keep it simple, straightforward and avoid industry jargon or overly complicated explanations.

While your marketing materials may be well written, if they're poorly designed, it may render them difficult to read , unattractive and useless. Smart design and good layout can make a positive first impression and make the material easier to read. All materials, from your Web site to sales flyers, should be complimentary in their look and feel and convey that they're part of the same "family". Include the cost of professional design services into your marketing budget.

Never overlook opportunities that allow you to build credibility or to become a source of knowledge in your marketplace. Try writing and submitting articles to an industry magazine on hot topics. Or provide your prospect and client databases with a monthly newsletter of tips, links and useful information. By providing consistent advice or information you'll quickly become an expert in your market.

Tips to Follow

Well written, effective marketing tools that reflect your business' branding can be a big asset. In addition to staying away from the problems listed above, here are a few tips to keep in mind in order to create winning marketing materials:

1) Know your target audience and speak directly to them Have a clear and concise understanding of who your ideal customers are, their likes, dislikes, attitudes and behaviors. This knowledge will help you improve your marketing focus and communication effectiveness.

2) Sell benefits, not features One marketing expert said it best: "Why is it better to offer problem-solving information than a straight sales pitch? Because nobody who bought a drill wanted a drill. They wanted a hole." Selling solutions or ways to solve problems is the key to compelling marketing or sales copy. Put yourself in your clients' shoes and imagine what information they would be interesting in hearing about your products or services. Eliminate the word "we" from your copy and include plenty of "you" and "your".

3) Include a call to action Never assume that prospects will take action without being prompted. Always include a call to action throughout your copy, whether it's on your Web site, in a print ad or brochure. Your call to action can be as simple as "Call today", "Hurry, offer expires soon" or offering a free gift if prospects act by a certain date.

Don't undervalue the power of your marketing materials. When done right, the results can really make a difference for your business.

How Color Impacts Your Company's Branding

There are several large companies that can be identified just by their brand colors or color combinations. When you think Home Depot, you automatically think orange. Mention Dunkin Donuts and everyone can visualize the exact pink and orange hues in their logo. See a brown truck pulling into the driveway, you know it is UPS even before you see the name on the vehicle. Smaller businesses can learn a lesson from these corporate giants by using color effectively and strategically in their brand messaging. A brand’s strength lies in its ability to pop and which colors you chose for your business is an important decision

I like to chose interesting and unique color combinations when designing a company logo. It really makes a business stand out from a crowd and get noticed in today’s competitive marketplace. For instance, not every attorney has to have navy or burgundy logos. There are lots of green or grey hues that are not only professional and conservative but striking as well. Think outside the box! Dare I even say that a regal purple would work quite well too! You may be surprised. If the corporate symbol is very conservative, interesting colors might be just the thing to kick it up a notch so people take notice. Conversely, if the design is a little more bold, I would probably suggest a more conservative color palette. It is all about the balance - looking professional yet forward thinking.

I also advise clients to use their brand colors on everything that they put in front of clients or potential clients to achieve the highest impact. If it is a professional office, then make sure your colors are consistant on all stationery, brochures, and direct mail. Tie in the colors to your email marketing and website too. If your business is retail or restaurant use the colors in the decor, on shopping bags, menus, uniforms and promotional items too. Stay away from any colors that your biggest competitors are using to avoid any confusion.

Make sure that your color selection for your brand is appropriate for your company. It's hard to envision a sunny yellow being appropriate for a funeral home or a drab brown for a restaurant. There are all types of data available on the psychological responses to colors but keep in mind that color is also very subjective and not everyone has the same responses. Also, the hue and intensity of a color can make all the difference. When you think green you might think nature and calmness, but if it is a neon green it can be quite jarring and have the opposite effect.

Color selection is vital when branding your company, but be aware that even the best color choices will not save a logo that is poorly designed. In preliminary design concept meetings with clients, I always prefer to show clients designs in black and white first. If the concept works great in black and white (which is important for faxes, newspaper ads etc.) then color selection becomes the icing on the cake. Plan something delicious with your branding and people will take notice!


By guest blogger Michele Kelly
Principal of Graphicways Design
Orange, CT