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Did you know that 89% of customers will stay loyal to brands that share their values? At the same time, customers need only 5-7 impressions to actually remember your brand, and this is not easy in a sea of competitors.
The trends are changing constantly, but one thing is for sure: good branding can help your business with sales and customer loyalty.
You don't have to define all branding elements at once, but you do need something to differ from other similar businesses in your industry.
Read on to learn why small business branding is more important than ever and how you should position your brand to stand out.
What Is Branding?
Branding is a marketing practice used to help customers differentiate your business and products from those of your competitors. Every element of your business can be branding. This includes your logo, marketing materials, colors, symbols, visuals, and even customer service.
Branding, when done right, can help potential and existing customers create a good first impression of your business. A memorable branding can also help customers remember your products among your competitors.
What Are the Main Elements of a Brand?
For a brand to become recognizable, it needs to have brand elements such as logos, color palettes, taglines, and graphics. However, brand elements can also be sound, smell, taste, texture, and even a feeling.
If you're just starting out with your business and want to create a distinct branding, think about how you want your customers to see your brand. What is the first thing they'll think or feel when they buy one of your products? Your brand message and mission can also be a brand element.
Why Is Branding Important for Small Businesses?
Small businesses need to attract customers and make sales even before they have a strong reputation. This is where branding can help your business send a message to your customers and position itself as attention-worthy.
If you want to stand out in the crowd and set your business apart from your competitors, invest in high-quality branding and elements. Brainstorm different brand names, colors, fonts, and company values so you can create a powerful branding that's hard to ignore.
Here are some of the most important reasons why branding is important for small businesses:
To Build Brand Awareness
When you're a new business, the main role of branding is to build brand awareness. This means attracting the attention of potential customers and gaining their trust.
When a customer can easily understand your brand message and what the business stands for, you've done a great job with your branding. On the other hand, branding that's all over the place and confuses the customer can have the opposite effect, i.e. deter the customer.
If you're not sure where to start and how to create branding that stands out, consider hiring a specialized branding agency that offers branding services for small businesses.
To Attract the Right Customers
Running a small business is not just about attracting any customers — it's about attracting the right customers. Your ideal customer will become a loyal brand ambassador. These are the people you need to prove your worth to, gain their trust, and meet their expectations.
The harsh truth is that customers don't care about a brand or branding elements unless the business makes an effort to approach them. You need to show customers how your products and services will improve their lives and fit into their lifestyles.
You can do this with good branding that'll show customers that you invest time and effort into your branding and quality, so they can count on your company.
To Boost Sales
People buy from brands they're familiar with and brands they trust. This is why you need to pay special attention to building a brand from the very beginning of your small business. Building trust should be a priority for any small business because it's hard to earn but very easy to lose.
By building strong relationships with your customers, you show them you care about their needs and wishes. In branding, you can show this by using positive brand images, colors that mean 'reliable and trustworthy', and reassuring messages.
To Improve Brand Visibility
When looking for branding packages for small business, make sure you define your company's mission and vision. Then, communicate this with the branding agency. It all starts with your "WHY" and the reason behind your brand and business. Customers don't care about a brand unless the business makes an effort to become an essential part of their lives.
Nike is one of the best examples of this. It's one of the world's most powerful brands partly due to selling high-quality products. But it also encourages customers to high performance, reaching their goals, and being their authentic selves. Nike does this through ad campaigns, branding elements, videos, and company values.
This is what makes people want to buy shoes from Nike instead of its competitors. They associate themselves with the message and values. The shoes are a way for customers to carry these values with them.
To Build a Reputation
Every business, no matter what industry it's in, has a reputation. There are two ways to build a reputation: take action to influence your brand reputation or let customers decide how to view your brand.
Good branding can support an already existing good reputation, but bad branding can send the wrong message. For example, if your business doesn't offer great customer support, customers won't care about your branding.
On the other hand, if your business donates money to charitable causes, this can become a part of your branding and improve your reputation.
Attract Customers and Boost Sales With the Power of Small Business Branding
Whether you're a new small business owner or an existing company, small business branding can do wonders for your online visibility, sales, and customer loyalty.
Ready to grow your business and reach a wider audience? Contact us today to learn more about our branding and design packages and let's make your brand stand out and get noticed.
