Tips for Branding Your Business: Being a Successful Small Business Owner

Turning your business into a household name doesn’t justhappen overnight. To turn your business into a company that everyone knows andloves is to brand yourself. There arecertain aspects that are covered by your brand – colors, tone, slogan, values.When we think of big brand name business, like McDonald’s, we can instantly thinkof the red and yellow colors, the happy inviting customer service, and the affordablefamily dining setting. So, what do clients think of when they hear yourbusiness name?

In this article, we cover when and why you should beginto brand your small business, the elements of a brand, and how to create asuccessful brand.

Your brand should come across in:

• Your office space or store front
• Your marketing
• Your website
• Your staff and customer service
• Your mission statement

Your brand is like your business’ persona, whether it be internal – in your office, external – with yourclients, or marketing – with the world.

Elements of a Building a Brand

Color Scheme

The visual representation of your business tends to be themost recognizable part of your brand. When we see bright red and yellow wetend to think of McDonald’s – while silver and white remind us of Apple. Colorscan evoke different emotions in people, and certain colors are associated withspecific character traits. When deciding about the color scheme for yourbusiness, you should refer to the color wheel and decide on complementarycolors. Learn more about choosing the right colors in our previous post, Tips and Tricks for Creating a Stunning Logo.

Voice

Slogans or Logos

With the color scheme, a logo is what the client tends toremember best. Since humans are visual creatures, having a logo can almostcreate a face for your business. Whether it be text or an image, people are ableto associate something with your business, other than your service or product. Havinga logo should be the first step to building your brand. For more advice on logodesign and color choices, check out our blog post HERE. In our world of tiny screens and fast readers, a slogan ortagline can set your business apart from your competition. A business slogan isa short and easy way to let potential clients know who you are, what you do,where you’re located, or all of the above. Your business’ tagline should includeyour UPS (unique selling point). Your UPS is what makes your business differentthan others in your industry – maybe you’re a legal firm that focuses ondocument creation for realtors. Either way, your slogan or taglinecan help entice people through your marketing efforts by filling in gaps of information.

Values

There are certain things your business will be willing andunwilling to do. For example, you might be interested in being the most affordableoption for your clients. So, one of your brands values might be that ‘we willbeat any competitors advertised rate’. The values that you set forth are theheart of your business. Aside from colors and logos, clients choose to workwith a business because they have the same values and ideals. In industriesthat require personal connections between business’ and clients, branded core valuesestablish your business’ personality and make you a stand out option againstyour competitors.

Overall, your brand is a memory that evokes positive emotionsand inspires a person to use the service or product again.

How to Create a Successful Brand

There’s a lot to learn from big company’s like McDonald’sand Apple. There is a reason they’re both household names and typically thefirst brand consumers think of when they think of that particular industry.They understand the psychology and ideals behind building a brand. But mostimportantly, they are consistent in their branding. Even during rebranding ormodernizing, we still know exactly who they are. Take a look at some of the bigbrand names in your industry, and see how they have built themselves into asuccessful brand.

As your business begins to grow, it’s important toconsider your brand. Your business’ brand is how the world, and more importantly, potential customers see you. When people look to a business, they tend to lookfor professionalism. With a brand, you have set ideals, imagery, tone,and other elements that are consistent. A professional company is one thattakes all elements and facets of its brand into account. Then, utilizes them ina manner that promotes and builds their name within their community. Building yourbusiness into a brand isn’t easy, it takes dedication and attention to detail,but the result is incomparable. What kind of success would Apple have had ifthey didn’t have a thirst for innovation and high-quality technology?

Are you ready to take your business to the next level and establish your brand?


Give us a call to schedule your free 1-hour consultation today