Sales & Marketing Authority, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

Branding, or making yourself a recognizable household name, is important for major corporations like Coke and Microsoft, but many entrepreneurs don’t realise that it’s just as important for the small business as well. People should be so familiar with your name that the moment they need your services you are the first person they think of. Here are a few things you can do to strengthen your brand!

Worry Less about the Logo

Your logo isn’t as important as you think – the design that is. Very few people will decide to do business with you based upon whether or not they like your logo; they probably won’t even take the time to make that decision. They will, however, notice your logo which will increase the likelihood of them remembering your name. Make sure it’s on everything including your website, signs, newsletters, and anything else that meets the public eye.

Build a Blog

Blogs are becoming increasingly popular for both small and large businesses. Customers are looking for information, and the more you provide the more knowledgeable you will appear to be. Set up a blog and use it to share valuable information. Your customers will view you as an expert, interact with you, and keep you in mind when its time to make a purchasing decision. Keep in mind that while blogs are a great marketing tool, they’re just that – a tool. Make sure you have plenty of other great tools in your marketing arsenal as well.

Volunteer and Participate

It is one thing to show up at a local business event but it’s another thing to be one of the people who help the event take shape. Simply showing up makes you nothing but another face, but participating will increase you visibility and help you to more effectively network with other businesses at the same time.

Reliability

Be consistent and reliable in all that you do. Your brand depends on your ability to fulfill any and all promises you make. If you set a project deadline – meet it. If you promise to help at a charity event – show up. Everyone hates feeling snubbed and those who have a bad experience with you are going to talk about it much more than those who have a good experience, so make sure you stay on a positive path!

Relinquish Control

By this we mean you need to relax and realise that you can control where and how your brand is seen but you can not control who will respond to it. If you see that a particular group of people is responding to your brand than align your marketing strategy to that group. Marketing and branding is about being able to shift your goals to meet the needs of your target audience – and about being able to recognize when your target audience has changed!

You have no choice but to make sure you brand your business. If you don’t, you really will just be another face in the crowd. Remember, branding is about much more than developing a logo – it’s about understanding what your clients need and making sure they know you can help them get it!

Good luck!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Telephone 0800 849 6732