As the saying goes, ‘A brand of a company is equivalent to a family’s reputation.’ Micro, small and medium companies have discovered that social media which is a great branding idea, enables them to get high exposure to expand into the market. Unfortunately, many micro and small companies make the blunder of ignoring branding efforts as they consider themselves as just a company selling products and not a brand. These companies think that brands are only for big firms with massive budgets that provide national recognition to them. Mostly, these companies resort to pointless branding ideas like getting flashy business cards to compete with famous brands. However, branding is crucial for every business of all sizes as it enhances their overall value, provides employees motivation and direction, and helps acquire new customers quickly.
Here are the top 10 Branding Ideas for Small Businesses
1. Follow the fundamentals
No start-ups or small businesses can establish their brand identity overnight. It takes its own sweet time. One of the best branding ideas for any company would be spending time and money on research, evaluation based on data, and critical thinking before considering any other branding idea.
2. Analyse your business performance
Quality should be your priority. No branding ideas will work unless your company operates on the product or service’s quality. If customers are happy with your product’s quality, it will increase word-of-mouth publicity. It will further enhance your brand’s credibility and authenticity. That’s why you must keep analysing your business performance to figure out the loopholes in your business. This branding idea could help you to acquire and retain many customers.
Secondly, you must constantly update your customers about your brand and fix operational errors to strengthen your brand value. Let your customers know if your company is facing a technical glitch while delivering the services or products, and additionally, you are working towards fixing it. Use this smart branding idea and remember that customers love interacting with brands that are honest with their buyers.
3. You must redesign your logo
Another excellent branding idea would be to redesign your logo. A company’s logo is a reflection of what your business is about. You must have seen Mac Donald’s M, the four circles of Audi or Apple’s half-eaten apple that looks like heaven’s tempting forbidden fruit. Therefore, you must understand that your company’s logo is the face of your company for your target customers. It is an unspoken rule that many marketers believe that logo is the best brand-building exercise. Therefore, marketers always consider logo design as the best branding idea while planning a marketing campaign. You must create an engaging logo to attract customers. Understand that terrible logo designs leave a bad impression on clients.
4. What’s your brand’s story?
What is the back story of your brand? First, connect your brand’s identity with a relatable story. This move could be a brilliant branding idea for your company.
The story doesn’t necessarily have to be your origin story, although it will have elements of why you started the company. This branding idea can help you to establish your target market.
The ultimate goal of your brand story should answer the following queries:
- What does your company believe in delivering?
- What issues does your product or service address?
- How will your company solve those issues?
- Why do you choose to relieve those issues that customers are facing?
- In the next 5 years, where do you want to see your business?
Remember that while you’re creating your brand story, it’s not just the selling pitch you give to customers when they want to know about your business. Instead, it’s about how your brand relates to customers and why you have started the company.
5. Assess the social media strategy of your company
This is one of the crucial branding ideas that can help you to expand your business. Social media presence is vital for enterprises, especially startups, and micro and small businesses. Social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook provide startups with a broad range of possibilities to acquire many potential customers. Unlike traditional marketing campaigns, your carefully and thoughtfully crafted social media page lets you build connections and community groups of social media users around your services and products. Social media enables companies to gather media mileage and create brand awareness with modest budgets and grassroots campaigns. For example, a California based shaving brand called Dollar Shave Club, through its viral advertisement, garnered over 12,000 views within 48 hours. Similarly, you need just one unique branding idea to reach out to people.
6. A tacky product packaging is a terrible branding idea
It would be best if you don’t take product packaging lightly. Some firms have mediocre packaging for their goods. Due to this, the customers leave them forever. A terrible packaging dissuades customers from purchasing the item due to awful package designs, labels with some legal information, and torn, leaking, and smelly packages, which also leave an odor in the product. So, make a lasting impression on your customers and utilise the packaging opportunity as a great branding idea. Use good quality boxes or packets for your products that don’t smell. Leave nice notes for your customers, so they feel great and satisfied while using your product.
7. Blogging can be a great branding idea
Blogging about your business is perceived as one the excellent branding idea. Show yourself as an industry leader through your blogs and that your company efficiently addresses customers’ issues. This branding idea will help to create trust amongst your customers for your brand. Tell customers about your products and services and how you are better than others in the industry. Write a few self-help guides so that customers will feel that you are not just trying to make money but are also trying to educate them. Your blogs must also have good texts and visuals that can make the blogs look attractive.
8. Include email marketing in your branding ideas list
Email marketing could be a traditional branding idea, but time and again, it has shown results when it is done correctly. This doesn’t mean that you will spam your potential customer or visitor’s mailbox with loads of emails. That would be considered career suicide. Do not do that! Instead, send a thoughtful email about your new products and best-selling products every once in a while to remind your customers about your brand. This practice is a great branding idea and will help you build a friendly image of your brand.
9. Feedback from customers
Customers’ feedback is a good branding idea and will help you to improve the quality of your products and become a trustworthy brand.
10. Create what you believe in
Don’t copy ideas of other brands and always make unique things that buyers will cherish forever. This branding idea could never go wrong. The customers will engage with your company, only if you make an honest effort.
Conclusion
Today, your competitors are no longer just the store next door. Your business is vying for attention online with tens, hundreds, or even thousands of others. To stand out from the crowd, it’s more important than ever to have a strong brand identity. For a small business to succeed, it will be even more imperative to know who you are, what you offer, and to whom you are offering your product or service.
Branding your small business is not a luxury, it is a necessity. You should invest time to make sure your business brand is clear and professional. Branding is a critical part of all business communications, and it impacts every aspect of your business.
Your brand will live on in the hearts of your customers if you provide them with a remarkable experience. Be sure to care about your customers, and they will do the same for you.
