Many new business owners make the mistake of thinking that branding is something only big businesses need to worry about. The reality is that this line of thinking can be detrimental to a new business owner’s success. Branding is about making your business memorable, and since new businesses are most at risk of getting lost in the noise, branding should be a top priority.
To help you get your branding plan in order, here are several things you need to know about the subject:
- Your Logo is Only the Beginning
Branding encompasses so much more than just a simple logo. Sure, your logo is your company’s image, but it’s so much more than that. To embrace the concept, you need the guidance of a creative design agency that fully understands how branding works. These professionals will work with you to develop a consistent color scheme for all your digital and print items, help you come up with talking points for sales reps, and even create product descriptions and anything else your customers need to see.
- Consistency and Repetition are Key
If you’re a parent, you already understand a little of how branding should work. Just as you often need to tell your child something more than once before it sinks in, you need to show consumers the same messages over and over (and over). The delivery has to be clear and concise to avoid confusing people, and it needs to be the same message again and again.
- Sales Reps Need to Be on the Same Page
Because consistency is key in a successful branding campaign, all sales reps need to relay a uniform message. Unfortunately, this is very difficult as each sales rep will have their own way of selling, and their messages may not be the same across the board.
The problem with this is that consumers can have very different impressions of what your business does, which can cause them to overlook certain products or to look elsewhere for what they need.
- Branding Conveys Your Core Values
Branding is more than just window dressing. It tells people what you stand for and what makes you different from everyone else. An effective branding campaign conveys your core values and lets customers know why they should buy from you. Do you offer the best quality around? Are you the most affordable? The most reliable? Your brand must target who you are and what you do, so your customers never question your integrity or your quality.
- Branding Needs to Be Targeted
It’s almost impossible to let your customers and prospects know that you’re the cheapest, the most reliable, the best quality, and the most innovative all at the same time. Your message needs to focus on one or two key points to avoid a “watered down” model. The more you try to convince your customer base that you’re everything, the less they will believe it and the more likely they will be to seek what they need from your competition.
Choose just a couple of key points you’d like to be known for and run with them. If you and your products truly are everything, your customers will find that out on their own and be willing to tell everyone they know how great you are.
To sum it up, branding is something every business – new or old, big or small – needs to focus on. It’s what tells people who you are and what you do. Hopefully, the key points above have given you a better understanding of branding.