5 Reasons why branding is important to your small business.

I wanted to share with you a post about #branding. Years ago when I worked for a real estate company they hosted a series of classes for employees on #branding, and the importance it holds for your business. I revisited that as I started up my up-cycled art business a few years ago, and again as we decided to expand on our #SelwynMarketing business. I am really grateful for what I learned in that class years ago, and it has made me a bit snobby about logos, brands and the use of them in print and graphics.

I see many small businesses make the mistake of neglecting branding efforts because they think of themselves as a business and not a brand. Brands, they think, are the just the big players with huge budgets and national recognition. Most often times small businesses do little more than come up with a fun logo and some pretty business cards. Branding is important for businesses of all sizes because it increases their value, gives employees direction and motivation, and makes acquiring new customers easier. Here are 5 reasons why branding is important for your small business.

1. Branding Creates Trust When a company presents themselves in a professional way, and when there is social evidence that their products and service are quality, prospective customers will trust that company and feel more comfortable doing business with them.

2. Branding Improves Recognition While your logo should not be your only branding effort, you should still put the time and effort into coming up with a professionally-designed, memorable logo. Not only should your logo be #memorable, it should give the desired impression of your company so when people see it, they instantly think and feel what you want them to think and feel.

3. Branding Supports Your Marketing Efforts Marketing is an important component of your brand. The mediums and channels chosen as well as the demographic targeted helps to build your brand. Be careful of too narrow of a marketing focus, or you’ll risk being “pigeon holed” and lose your ability to expand into new markets. Then again, too broad of a marketing focus could lead to an inability to create a definable #impression of your company in consumers’ minds.

4. Branding Motivates Employees Anyone can hire employees, but only a strong brand can hire motivated employees that are inspired to carry your #vision and #mission forward. When your brand feels pride, your employees do as well. Having a strong brand is essential for employee morale and #productivity.

5. Branding Generates New Revenue Branding is one of the best ways to get referral or word-of-mouth business. And again, this is why it’s important that your logo, marketing, and reputation work cohesively to form an indelible impression on consumer minds. Think about it, you can’t tell your friend about the amazing golf clubs you just bought if you can’t remember the brand.

I see the issue of consistency come up a lot with small businesses. They lack the knowledge of how important it is to have a consistent look and feel of their business across all platforms. Variation in business names and logo designs becomes confusing to the consumer. No matter what size they are, the most successful businesses are the ones that have established themselves as a leader in their industry by creating a strong brand. And, when these businesses focus on building valuable customer experiences, they easily transform customers into #brand #ambassadors.