Establishing Your Identity: 8 Branding Tips for Small Businesses

It’s absolutely crucial that your customers know who you are and what you do. It sounds elementary, but many businesses forget that making a strong impression on the minds of the public is a major component of success. You don’t have to be a huge corporation to use ‘branding’ to your advantage – small businesses can get in on the game, too, with simple tips that will help you stand out against the crowd.

Have a website, even if you’re an offline business. In today’s technology-oriented world, potential customers are going to be searching online for information about all kinds of different products and services, and they’ll often choose the business that has the most information available online. Your website should be professional, reflect your brand image, have an ‘about us’ page (see above), include basic information about your products or services and testimonials, if applicable.

Your logo is important, but don’t sweat it too much. Yes, your logo will be on all of your marketing materials, from your website and blog to your business cards and letterhead. It should definitely be well designed by a professional, and fit who you are and what you do. However, it’s not the end-all be-all of branding and it will rarely act to increase sales. The most important thing is making sure it ends up on every piece of your communication, to help establish your brand identity. Consistency is key.

Have a one-page ‘about us’ overview written. Have a professional writer do this for you – it won’t take too terribly long, and it’s one of the most important pieces of copy you’ll have on any of your promotional materials. Your ‘about us’ page can either be a casual, conversational piece highlighting your company background, mission statement and how you plan to grow in the future or a ‘corporate overview’ detailing your value proposition, target audience benefits and experience. It can be used on your website and as part of your press kit, and snippets of it can be used for brochures.

Put a human face on your marketing materials. The online world can be a cold, impersonal place where one business blends into the other. Putting a human face on your company can help make you more memorable. Your name, photo and a brief personal message (most often put on the ‘about us’ page of your website) helps give visitors a sense of the human element behind the mechanical façade, which engenders trust.

Start a blog. Writing consistent, frequent posts that contain information relevant to your industry can position you as a leader in your field, get your website more traffic and build an audience. If you’ve never done it before, don’t worry, it’s really quite easy when you get the hang of it. Publishing software allows you to simply type in your content and hit ‘publish’, so you don’t have to deal with design, code or other elements of web development.

Use social media marketing to your advantage. Social media creates a sense of intimacy, making your online contacts feel as if they know you personally. This, in turn, creates brand loyalty as well as getting your company more exposure on the web. Learn how to use social media effectively in our previous post, ‘Marketing with No Money: Using Social Media to Grow Your Offline Business’.

Stick to what you do best. Sometimes companies embark on misguided attempts to grow their brand through ‘diversifying’, and we’re not saying that that’s always a bad idea. However, when a website that sells water fountains suddenly starts selling children’s furniture and pot racks as well, the brand gets diluted. People don’t know who you are and what you’re trying to do anymore, and chances are, you don’t either. Branching out is okay, but you may want to consider doing it under a different business name.

Listen to your customers. Nothing sinks a business faster than failing to consider the needs of the people who matter most: the ones who buy your product or service. They’ll provide the best cues as to your strengths and weaknesses, and knowing exactly what your customers want can give you a competitive advantage. Ask for feedback, and listen closely to what they have to say.

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