What is "Branding"? (And do small businesses need to care?)

(Yes, the answer to the title question is, "yes")

When most people think of branding, they think “logos, colors, and slogan”. And they’re right! Branding is these things, (plus much more) put together to create a unique identity of a business, product, or service. An identity is established through the combination of visual elements, messaging, and client experience. The biggest and most successful brands you can think of (maybe Nike and Apple come to mind) spend time, energy, and money to ensure every message related to their company is “on brand”, or consistent with how they want their business to be perceived. They know a strong, consistent brand can help attract and retain customers and, thus, increase their revenue.

BRANDING FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Although we often correlate strong brands with big corporations, like Coca-Cola or Amazon, branding is important for businesses of all sizes as it can help differentiate your company from your competitors and build trust among your potential clients. (Building TRUST in health and fitness industries is huge - I'll save that for another blog post...)

When branding is professional and consistent, your target audience will begin to see it as reliable and of high quality. If you are wanting to take your business to the next level (which I’m guessing you do…), take control of your branding and messaging. It as a smart investment of your time, energy, and money as it can increase your revenue (if done and implemented strategically).

WHAT MAKES A BRAND “STRONG”?

Consistency: Maintaining consistency across all your company’s marketing materials contributes to brand recognition and reinforces your image, values, and offerings in the minds of your target audience. You’ll want to ensure EVERYTHING you send out to your target audience aligns with your brand values and matches your brand voice. To ensure you’re being consistent across messaging, refer to your brand kit from your graphic designer.

Unique: Choice of colors, typography, imagery, and messaging can distinguish you from your competitors and create an emotional or thoughtful response from your audience. You can do a simple Google search of your competitors to see what their brand looks and feels like, and differentiate yourself based on your findings. Don’t blend in, and remain true to your values!

Memorable: It’s not enough to be unique, but your brand must also be memorable, that your target audience can easily recognize your brand. A distinctive logo, tagline, or mascot can help your target audience recall who you are and what you stand for. (Be memorable, but not in a weird or ridiculous way - See next point)

Relevant: A strong brand and visual identity should be relevant to your values, your offerings, and your target audience. The right brand designer will understand your target audience and what they are looking for in a brand before you build your visual identity and your marketing materials. Building trust and credibility is essential for your business, and the right brand can help you do that.

Flexible: This is more a requirement of you, the business owner. Don’t be afraid to refresh your brand and your image as your business grows and changes. Although we all hope our brand will be timeless, trends can change and your once classic logo may, someday, feel outdated. You can still maintain your core values and identity, while making slight changes to your visuals. Again, your logo elicits emotions and thoughts from your target audience – you don’t want them to feel you’re old-school or think you’re not on top of your game.

Supportive: Your brand and visual identify should support your business goals and objectives. If your goal is to attract and retain clients, make sure your brand and your messaging is doing its part.

IN CONCLUSION

By understanding these key characteristics, you can build a strong brand to help you attract and retain clients and differentiate your business from your competitors. Building recognition and trust among your target audience is the first step in igniting the growth of your business. Whether you’re just starting out or considering a refresh, I encourage you to take these points into consideration.

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