The Importance of Branding for Small Businesses
Small business owners will know only too well that there are often a mountain of challenges awaiting you at your desk each morning. From perfecting your product, to balancing budgets, to managing a team… you name it, they’re all part of the daily grind. It’s easy to get so wrapped up by these challenges that the branding for your own small business can end up sitting at the bottom of a very long list.
But here’s the thing - branding is not just a ‘nice to have’ and shouldn’t be something that you’ll ‘get around to when you have the time’. Prioritising branding is essential to make your business stand out from the crowd, attract the right customers and create a loyal fan base. Here are just some of the ways that branding is important for your small business.
1. strong branding makes your company instantly recognisable.
Did you know that 75% of people can recognise a brand by its logo? The most successful businesses in the world all have this in common, from Nike’s notorious ‘Swoosh’ to Cadbury’s signature purple packaging (they even won a court battle for exclusive use of Pantone 2685C purple!).
Making sure that you have recognisable branding is the best way to separate yourself from the competition. Using simple and effective design, you can showcase not only what your business does but its unique personality too. As a small business, you have so much more room to play with this. The design world really is your oyster, so have fun with it!
Imagine if your company was a person… what kind of person would they be? What colours would they wear? Are they serious or playful? Are they extroverted or introverted? Are they energetic or laid-back? Hiring a design studio can help you get to the heart of who your brand is and transform this into meaningful design that stands out from the crowd.
2. It will let your consumers know they’re in the right place
How many times have you walked into a store and had to awkwardly pretend to look at the clothes to avoid appearing rude? Or, have you ever scanned a room and immediately felt like you belonged? It can be tricky to pin-point this intangible feeling, when in fact, it’s a whole bunch of different elements that come together to form a brand. The colour palette of the room, the music playing on the shop floor, the uniforms of the staff. Each of these variables are part of that store's brand and have an instant impact as you walk through the door.
This is no different on a social media platform or website. From the colours you use, to the way you speak, the style of your photography to the typefaces you use, every customer touchpoint should make it clear to potential customers who you are as a brand, and whether you are for them. For example, two beauty brands that both have clean, cruelty free ingredients, are Lottie London and Victoria Beckham Beauty. One has a playful, youthful, colourful brand identity and the other appears luxurious, aspirational and chic.
Their branding decisions will be based on who their target audiences are, their price points and individual personalities. Through well thought out branding, you can effortlessly convey to your audience what you’re all about, and they will have a much easier time spotting you!
3. Branding for a small business creates trust and credibility
Let’s be real, bad branding can really let a good business down. You can have the smoothest customer service, the best team and the most innovative product on the market, but if your logo looks like it’s been made in Microsoft Paint, selling your product or service is going to be much harder than it needs to be.
Branding helps build trust and credibility, which is crucial if you want a long-term, thriving business. When your customers love your brand, they’ll not only remain loyal to you, they’ll also advocate for you by sharing their recommendations with their friends and family. Create a professional and consistent brand identity that speaks to your target market, and you’ll have fans in no time!
4. It motivates your employees
It’s not just customers that should be falling in love with your branding…your employees should be too! Branding is so much more than your logo and website. It can also become part of your office’s interior design, your shop floor, your uniforms and merchandise too.
These touch points not only add to the customer experience, they make your employees feel unified and motivated to do an excellent job. There is so much value in this, from your employees feeling happier at work and therefore giving 100%, to advocating for you outside of the 9-5.
An expert design studio will have this in mind when building your brand. They will be thinking out of the box ideating all the different places they can incorporate your branding.
5. It strengthens your advertising
Imagine you’ve bought three billboards throughout your local highstreet to advertise your business on, but each one of those billboards looks completely different. Do you think passers by will have remembered your brand and what you offer by the time they get to the end of the highstreet? Or will they be left confused?
This is why branding for small businesses is so vital when it comes to advertising. We know your investments are going to be extremely considered and that every penny counts, so making sure that your branding is consistent is the ultimate way to ensure that your brand is noticed and remembered. Strong branding enables you to communicate clearly and with total ease, giving your advertising far more of an impact.
So, all of these points will show you that branding is important for your small business because it improves every single aspect of running your day to day company. From how your employees feel at work to capturing a brand new customer's attention. It’s, well, everything!
Are you committed to giving your business the best possible chance at success through your branding? Let’s make it happen!