Grow Your Small Business with a Brand Plan

Mar 21

Small business owners juggle a lot. Branding make business easier!

Are you developing new products, launching new programs, writing new emails, brainstorming social media posts, managing employees, and trying to balance your bank account?

If so, I can relate.

And, if that’s you, then you may find branding your small business gets set on the back burner!

While branding might seem like an added stress, investing in brand development for your small business will create a map for all your future marketing, and it will ultimately lay the foundation your business needs to grow.

Here are 5 key reasons why it makes sense to start building a brand for your business now!

1. Appear Larger and More Professional

Maybe it’s just you and that’s okay, but when your customers see consistent branding across all products, promotional materials, and websites, they will be more inclined to think that you are established, trustworthy, and serious about what you are selling.

Small companies that invest in brand development appear larger and more professional. If you want your client base to take you seriously, it's important to let them know that you believe in your business enough to develop a brand that is consistent and professional.

It is important to point out that branding sets the tone for the customer experience, and as a business owner, it is smart to step into your customer’s shoes and look at your business the way a brand-new customer would.

Get my Brand Audit Workbook

It’s a great resource for taking a look at your brand and will provide tips for improving your marketing efforts!

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If you were going to buy from your business, what would you be looking for? How would you determine if your product or service would be a good fit? Would you check out the website or social media? Would you look at reviews to see if other customers enjoyed their experience with the business?

Start asking yourself how many products you buy based on the presentation and first-hand experiences with each brand.

A well-thought-out brand will show your customers that you are serious about your business, and they will be more likely to trust you and ultimately purchase from you!

2. Improved Credibility

If all your interactions with clients look and sound the same, you will be building a foundation of credibility. Human beings are wired to appreciate flow and patterns, and hiccups in patterns make us feel uncomfortable -- which usually leads to us looking somewhere else.

For example, if your website is blue but all your social media is orange, customers instinctively feel that you aren’t as credible as your competitor with consistent branding. And, don’t forget about your “brand voice.”

If the brand voice on your website is direct and serious, but your social media brand voice is funny and laid back, the overall brand experience for your customer is going to feel disconnected and possibly confusing.

You want your customer’s experience to be as easy and relatable. This will lead to the initial sale and will likely keep your customer buying again and again.

There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to marketing your small business and that’s why having a strategic plan for your branding is essential for improving credibility.

Here are a few questions to measure your credibility:

Messaging. Does your business sound and feel the same when you are connecting with potential clients in-person, on the phone, on social media, and on your website?
Visuals. Do your social media sites, website, courses, and handouts all look the same?
Flow. Do your messages and visuals work together across all platforms and in your promotional materials?

When all these pieces look and sound consistent, you are telling your customer base that you know who you are, and you know exactly what you can offer them. You are also in-directly communicating the value you put into your business. You are letting your customers know that your business is important to you.

When you invest in your brand, you are building a foundation of credibility.

Your customers will come to know what to expect from you, and your messages will be more believable.

There are a lot of great ways to build trust with your customers, but your brand is one of the easiest and most important ways (especially for small businesses).

3. Get the Recognition You Deserve

You work too hard and put in too many hours to not be recognized by your ideal customer. Branding your small business will significantly enhance your return on investment.

Solid branding leads to easier and more focused messaging. Everything that involves communicating with your customers is your brand messaging, and it is the perfect stage to tell your one-of-a-kind story.

Why did you start your small business? Why are you doing what you are doing now? There is always a good story on the other side of these questions, and it helps your business stand out in a big way.

Another big part of messaging is your company promise. What do you want to be known for? What can your customers expect from you? Your messaging reassures them of your reliability and trustworthiness.

Your customers (just like you) interact with a lot of brands every day. A few they like and will remember. Many will just get lost in the clutter. If you want to be more memorable to your customer base, you need to develop a plan to deliver consistent messaging regularly.

Here are five tips to make your brand more memorable:

Know your customer. If you've defined your Dream Customer, you'll know what they want and need. If you know what matters to them – and deliver – you'll be in their hearts and minds! Being more memorable starts with knowing the why!
Tell your story. Branding does come down to storytelling. Become a great storyteller and you'll resonate with your customer base. People love (and remember) great stories. Make sure you are telling your unique story.
Get in front. If you want your customers to remember you, you'll have to keep reminding them. Make sure you are consistently getting in front of your customers. This might be regular e-mails, blog posts, presentations, or workshops. It's different for every business, but it's important to keep providing value to your customers on a regular and consistent schedule.
Stay consistent. Consumers need to hear and see the same message up to seven times before they will commit it to memory. Businesses often get tired of their own messaging but forget that their consumers haven't yet committed it to memory. Keep saying it!
Deliver value. If you wow your customers, they will remember. Find ways to add value to everything you do. Free resources, amazing customer service, free extras. Find ways to add more value every time your interact with your customers. They will love (and remember) you!

4. Command Premium Pricing

Unique brands can charge premium prices! Find your niche, narrow in on your unique values, and start charging what you are worth!

Branding helps you create a unique and premium vibe that your ideal customers will love. It helps you create a tribe of raving fans willing to pay more because what you offer is expertly crafted just for them!

The value you deliver to your customer base will be a distinct part of your branding so you want to start asking yourself how you will wow your customers.

What are some brands that you continue to go back to because they offer excellent customer service, always throw in a little extra with your purchase, or are always willing to make a bad experience right by correcting their mistake quickly?

Take a minute to think about the brands you consider “priceless” and then think about how you can learn from those experiences.

Let's face it. Only one company can be the cheapest -- the rest of us need to show our value!

Here are three fundamental ways to build value into your brand so that you can command premium pricing:

Find a niche. First off, you'll need to find your niche. It's hard to command premium pricing and be everything to everyone. You need to define your ideal customer. Know exactly what they need or want and deliver!
Be really, really good. Once you know what they need, you must deliver. Strive to be the best in your industry. Be known for one thing and do it so well that your customers won't want to go anywhere else!
Stay in your zone. Stay focused. Don't stray. Once you find what works, keep doing it! Don't expand too quickly or add too many products. Be thoughtful about what your customers need and deliver!

5. Grow Your Business Faster

More than ever, small business owners are facing big challenges. You can face some of these challenges head-on with branding!

Strategic branding attracts the right customers, keeps them coming back for more and will skyrocket your referral rate!

My husband has run a construction company for the past 20 years. He’s built a solid brand based on constructing premium buildings. As a result, his customers will wait months for him to work on a project and they refer him to their friends and neighbors. As a result, he’s constantly booked out and he rarely does any marketing. His marketing team consists of happy customers that can’t stop recommending his work! He doesn’t have to worry about marketing he just has to worry about delivering the high-end product his customers have come to know and expect.

It’s the same for you. What do your customers value? How can your turn your clients into a referral network that will skyrocket your sales? It starts with building your brand. It starts with knowing how you can uniquely serve your customers in your market.

The entire concept of marketing is to build awareness and generate leads (presumably for sales). The ultimate goal of any brand should be to grow your business. Having a solid brand platform will lead to more contacts and ultimately more clients and more sales!

Key Takeaways

Branding makes you appear professional which leads to credibility and customer trust.
Branding for small businesses is the difference between being remembered or getting lost in the noise that is advertising.
A business that invests in strategic branding can charge premium prices for products and services.
Branding attracts the right kind of customers.
An investment in your brand is an investment in the growth and success of your business!

Now that you know how important a brand can be to the success and growth of your business, stop overlooking it! Take the time to learn more about what branding is and how you can leverage branding to build your business.

In the end, you won’t regret the investment of having your own unique brand that stands out from the crowd and allows you to communicate with your dream customers in a consistent and efficient manner.

And besides, this is about what you do every day. You want your business to be the very best it can be and watching it grow is what it is all about.

We have a ton of great resources to help you develop a brand for your business.