Guide 21 min read
1. Branding overview
It can be easy to think of branding as only a concern for huge multinational corporations jostling for the attention of a world-wide audience. However this is not the case. Creating and building a brand is just as important for small and micro businesses as it is for big multinationals. Building a brand helps you stand out from the competition and helps your customers recognise you in the future and do business with you again. Whether you have launched a new dog walking venture, opened a local cafe, or are creating a product to bring to market, it is important that you consider your ‘brand’ from the very beginning.
Below, we explain what a brand is, why it is important, and what steps you need to take to start building one.
2. What is a brand?
A brand is more than just a business name or logo - it is the impression that your customers have of your business. We are all familiar with ‘brands’ that have become everyday household names, such as Nike or Coke or Microsoft. And when thinking of these brands, we can conjure up an image of that business and its products - whether it's the no-nonsense range of ‘Ronseal’ or the sleek tech products of Apple. And it is this image that we think of that is that business’s brand.
Leave an impression
In simple terms, think of a brand as your business’s personality. It should portray your values, connect with your customers, and leave an impression. It helps your customers both understand what you do and form a connection with you. For example, think of two different cafes - both with different customer groups. One cafe may serve traditional fare like homemade soups, toasties, and breakfast rolls. Another may serve hand-brewed single origin coffee, and artisan sandwiches and pastries. Each cafe is likely to target different customer groups, and each cafe will have a different brand - one that conveys what they do, shows the experience that customers will have, and that will make a connection with their own target customer.
Sum of all parts
Your brand is made up of a ‘sum of all parts’. It's a combination of your business or product name, your logo, the colours you use, the product or service itself, your ‘story’, your reputation, and all of the interaction that you have with your customers.
Consistency
To be effective, a brand must be consistently represented across all potential touchpoints, from name, to website, to copy and tone of voice, to the product or service itself. It must also live and breathe its values - there’s no point having a brand that positions itself as sustainable if it also uses large amounts of plastic packaging or harmful manufacturing processes.
3. What is branding?
If your brand is made up of the ‘sum of all parts’ of your business, then ‘branding’ is the management of those parts. All businesses have a brand, whether consciously or not.
Branding is the deliberate creation of your brand by carefully selecting your name, logo, products, customer interactions, and other key elements to portray the image that you want.
If your time and budget are limited you can work on your branding by first managing the more accessible elements (such as name and logo), and working up to more.
4. Why is branding important for small businesses?
Building a well-crafted, strong and recognisable brand that your audience connects with can be key to the success of your small business for a number of reasons.
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Stand out from the competition. It is important to differentiate yourself from competitors offering similar products or services. Where customers have a large number of companies to choose from, an effective brand can be the decisive factor that influences your customers to choose you. Think about the products and services that you use, and consider why you selected one particular brand over another.
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Increase awareness and recognition. If your brand is memorable, the more people see it the more they’ll become aware of the service, and the more they will recognise your brand. This is especially important when running any advertising or marketing activity. This feeling of familiarity can then help prompt a decision to buy.
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Build relationships and prompt repeat custom. When a brand’s values match a consumer’s values, a connection is formed, which can help build a relationship and increase repeat sales.
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Build trust. By embodying your business values across all touchpoints, it can help your audience feel assured that they know what they’re going to get from you and provide a sense of consistency and reliability.
Contribute to the valuation of your business. A recognisable brand, with a strong following can become a valuable asset when you are looking to exit or sell your business, helping to attract buyers and achieve the best price.
5. Next step: build your brand
Now that you understand the basics of branding, it is time to start building your own brand.