5 Steps to Build a Brand for Your Small Business

September 20, 2021

What are tips on how to brand a small business?

1. Research, research, research
2. Establish your point of difference
3. Create a memorable customer experience
4. Look for partnership opportunities
5. Produce the right content

If you’re a small business owner, you might think that branding is something only big corporations with big budgets need. The truth is, as long as you’re in business, you need to think about your brand identity. What you establish now will become a decisive factor in your future success. To help you get started, here are some tips on how to brand a small business.

Research, Research, Research

You can’t create a brand for your company that works if you don’t understand your business or customers to begin with. So, the first step to building a brand is to research — thoroughly and extensively. Take the time to learn about your primary audience, your competitors, and your market. Use this information to develop a customer persona that defines your target audience’s likes, dislikes, hobbies, and values.

Once you have a well-made customer persona, you’ll be able to understand how your customers think. Combine that with your research on the competitive environment, you’ll understand how to leverage your business’ brand to best appeal to your customers.

Establish Your Point of Difference

After you’ve done your research, you’ll have a better idea of what your competitors are doing, and what works for your particular product. No matter what your business offers, chances are there are already other people doing the same thing. To stand out amongst the bevy of options available, you’ll need to find your point of difference (or POD).

Your POD is what makes you special, and what makes the customer choose your offering above anything else. Your POD doesn’t have to be ground-breaking or complicated — it just has to draw the customer’s attention. It can be anything from aesthetics to after-purchase benefits — anything you can think of that will make your business uniquely you.

Create a Memorable Customer Experience

Once your POD attracts new people, you should set up ways to convert them into loyal customers. To do so, think of them as something beyond regular buyers — instead, think of everyone as a potential brand ambassador. Why is this important for branding? It’s simple — word of mouth is a powerful tool. Think of all the times you tried something new just because it was recommended to you by a friend.

To convert your customers into brand ambassadors, you have to create a memorable customer experience. Ensure that they’re satisfied with your business by offering special deals, loyalty programs, and so on. Generally, make them love buying from you, even if it’s just a simple purchase. When they’re happy with your business, they’re more likely to endorse you to their social circles — helping you build up your brand.

Look for Partnership Opportunities

The thing is, people are often reluctant to buy from brands they don’t trust. Even with a great POD and customer service, building up that trust can be tricky. A great way to effectively build up your brand is to look for partnership opportunities. With the right partner, you can quickly build up your reputation while generating leads.

Think of it as building trust by proxy — potential customers will be introduced to you through a business they already trust. As a result, they’re more likely to extend their trust in your business. The key to success with this step? Finding a business with similar — but non-competitive — products and services.

Produce the Right Content

To reinforce your brand, you need to show off some credibility and expertise. As a small business, you probably don’t have a huge budget for marketing and ads. Luckily, there’s one easy and affordable way to set up your brand — content marketing.

Content marketing is a great strategy because it allows you to develop a strong brand voice through your content. The key to success here is to create the right kind of content. Your previous market research should reveal the questions your customers are asking. Your content should answer those questions while directing them towards your products and services.

Key Takeaway

You don’t need an extensive budget or a large marketing team to create your brand identity — all you need to know are these five steps on how to brand your small business. With these tips, you can create a great branding strategy from the ground up.

There are plenty of simple yet effective methods to help your business stand out amongst your competitors. If you need more advice on how to apply such methods to your branding strategies, send a message to Benito Keh today. His multiple entrepreneurial successes make him the perfect mentor for small businesses.