Branding Tips for Small Businesses

Many small businesses are confused with the concept of ‘branding’, thinking that it is only meant for large corporations or big business houses. But no matter how small your business service or product is, creating and developing an effective brand helps in reaching out to potential clients, which in turn can bring success to your company.

Developing a proper branding strategy is critical to your long term success and should be a dynamic part of your marketing plan. Since most small businesses run on tight budgets, there usually are very little funds appropriated towards a comprehensive branding exercise. But, in effect, one doesn’t need all that much to plan and execute a successful branding strategy.

Listed below are seven valuable yet cost-effective branding tips that small businesses can use to develop their brand in the online market.

  1. Create a logo to match your design scheme: Creating a logo is the first and most important step in building a brand. Make sure that your logo is appropriate and goes with your entire design scheme. Incorporate your logo into your brand by putting it on business cards, letterheads, envelopes, invoices, yellow page ads, building signage, newsletters, e-mail signatures, etc.
  2. Build a professional website: Your next step is to build a well-designed and effective professional website that reflects your brand image. Keep it simple and functional by providing all essential information that your customer might be looking for. And don’t forget to update it at least every two years to keep it current.
  3. Blog your brand: Blogs are very easy to publish and help in building your brand on multiple levels. Apart from being a great way to enable conversation with potential customers, blogs also build your brand by affecting the perception of those who read your blog.
  4. Expand your brand through social networking: You can build your brand on the different social platforms like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn for free. These social networks help you create a high level of brand awareness and engage with your customer on a personal level.
  5. Put together a comprehensive branding strategy: Don’t just stop with blogging and social networking. Include direct mail campaigns, email campaigns, hosting of webinars, sponsoring of local events, cold call of prospects, and attending trade shows and networking events as other possible ways towards building your brand identity.
  6. Keep a one page corporate review at hand: Preparing a one-page corporate review in an easy conversational style can be a good brand building exercise. Don’t forget to include your value proposition, target audience benefits, previous audience experience, a mini-case study and most important of all, your contact information.
  7. Develop your brand through local business events: This branding tactic works especially well for small businesses. Promoting a local event or sponsoring a needy cause within your community can be a great way by which people will remember and identify your business with your brand.

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