Small business, big brand
Just because you run a small business, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need, or can’t have a great brand.
Okay, you have a much smaller budget than the likes of Coca Cola and Amazon but it’s still important to invest something in making sure you create a memorable brand for your business.
Branding is so important. It is what will drive customers to your product or service and keep them interested. It will help convince people of your business’s credibility and establish your product within its field. Whatever the size of your company, you need a brand.
So how do you go about it?
Well, in the same way that any big company would, it’s the same process, just on a smaller scale with a smaller budget. You need a marketing plan, you need to know your target market, and most importantly, you need a good idea. It’s not just big-time businesses that have good ideas you know!
So firstly, it’s all about knowing who you want to be the target for your brand. You need to create an experience tailored to your specific customer. In reality, that’s probably easier for a smaller business than it is for the big fish.
Because you are on a budget, it’s important you know your marketing plan. Following impulses and whim decisions can often lose you money which doesn’t matter so much if you are PayPal. But even PayPal will have a strict marketing plan for their branding, and you should too.
Make sure you check out your competition before establishing a brand. See what has been successful, and not so successful, for other small businesses. We’re not saying you copy them of course, merely having an understanding of how your peers are using branding. We can guarantee that big companies are checking out their competition before making a branding move.
Finally, because of your smaller budget, be aware of the things that don’t cost much but can really help with your brand. Social media is your best friend as it can provide market research, feedback, ideas, advertising and so much more, all for free.
Give yourself a head start
Just because you are a small business, definitely does not mean you can’t have a big brand. A great brand will give your business a kick start and start to do the talking for you. Be ambitious and give your product or service an identity within the market. Before you know it, you’ll be competing with the big guns.