Brand Strategy for Small Businesses
Written By: Maria Wojciechowski
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
A Comprehensive Guide to Brand Strategies
A common misconception among small business owners is that branding isn’t necessary. Branding is for big dogs like McDonald’s with its Golden Arches or Nike and its inimitable slogan, “Just Do It.” But this couldn’t be further from the truth! Write Label has found that branding is important for even small, locally-owned businesses, helping them stand out among competitors to attract new customers.
A successful brand initiative is more than just a logo or a catchy tagline; it’s the business' identity. It can inform how customers perceive and interact with a company or product. For most businesses, branding is the key to standing out in a crowded market—the chance to connect more meaningfully with an audience and foster long-term loyalty. When all boils down to one thing: every business, from the local mom-and-pop store down the street to an established global corporation, benefits from having a recognizable brand.
What Is Brand Strategy?
Brand strategy is a business’s approach to establishing and promoting its brand. This involves defining the brand's purpose, values and unique selling points, identifying target audiences, and using consistent messaging across marketing channels to increase brand awareness.
Why Is Small Business Branding Important?
The importance of branding cannot be overstated. Marketing for small businesses helps them stand out from competitors in a crowded market. Even with limited resources compared to big companies, small businesses have to make a strong impression to get noticed and gain customer trust. Having a clear brand can establish customer loyalty, keeping them coming back and getting people talking about your business in a way that creates a positive brand reputation.
Want to learn more about building a brand? Read below for branding tips for small businesses.
1. Understand the Brand Identity
What Is Brand Identity?
The brand identity encompasses all of the elements that make up a brand, including visuals—like logos, color palettes and typography—and non-visuals, such as tone of voice. A strong brand identity allows consumers to identify the brand without explicitly reading or hearing the brand name.
Steps to Define Brand Identity
Know the Mission: Clearly define what the business stands for (i.e., brand values). A strong mission statement should convey core values, purpose, and long-term aspirations.
Research the Competition: Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the competition and use that information to differentiate the brand.
Identify the Unique Selling Proposition (USP): How does the brand benefit the consumer? What makes the product unique?
Establish Tone of Voice: A consistent tone of voice helps to create a strong brand personality and allows for clear communication with consumers.
Create Brand Guidelines: Once these elements are aligned, it is important to establish guidelines for their use. This ensures consistent brand messaging across social media and other marketing collaterals, and it prevents any dilution of the brand identity.
Photo by Harry Cunningham on Unsplash
2. Develop the Brand Personality
What Is Brand Personality?
The brand personality assigns human characteristics to the brand. Think: If your brand was a person, what traits would define them? Perhaps your personality is outgoing and fun, or maybe it’s more professional or straightforward. Establishing a personality is a great way to humanize a brand or business and relate to an audience.
Steps to Develop Your Brand Personality
Define Your Brand Archetype: Brand archetypes are universal characters that help you shape your brand’s personality. Examples include the Hero (Nike), the Outlaw (Harley-Davidson), and the Caregiver (Johnson & Johnson). Identify the archetype that best represents your brand.
Create a Brand Persona: Develop a persona that embodies your brand’s traits. This persona should guide your messaging and interactions. For instance, if your brand is adventurous, your persona might be someone who loves exploring new places and trying new things.
Reflect Your Personality in All Brand Touchpoints: Ensure that your brand personality is evident in everything you do, from your customer service interactions to your marketing campaigns.
Once you develop the brand personality, implement it in all of your brand assets, from visuals to copy.
3. Define the Target Audience
Why Knowing Your Audience Matters
Understanding your target audience helps you tailor your messaging, products, and services to meet their needs and preferences. It’s a crucial step for creating a brand that resonates.
Strategies to Identify Your Target Audience
Recognize Your Unique Selling Propositions: Identify what makes your product stand out from the competition and how it benefits your customers.
Market Research: Conduct surveys, focus groups, and interviews to gather insights about your potential customers. Analyze demographic data, buying behavior, and preferences.
Create Customer Personas: Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including their age, gender, occupation, interests, and pain points.
Analyze Competitor Audiences: Look at who your competitors are targeting and how. This can provide valuable insights into potential gaps in the market that your brand can fill.
Analyze Your Past and Current Customers: Find common features amongst your customers. Are many of them first-time parents? Do they live in the suburbs? Etc.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
4. Visual Branding and Copy
The Importance of Visual Assets
This sounds like a no-brainer, but visual branding is essential for brand recognition. Where would Hooters be without that cheeky owl reinforcing the double entendre? The visual element of a brand allows the consumer to recognize and connect to a brand aesthetically.
Visual branding elements can include:
Logo: A simple, memorable representation of your brand’s identity.
Color Palette: Colors can evoke emotion and influence consumers. A brand’s color palette should align with its values and target audience.
Typography: Choose a font that is both visually appealing and easy to read.
Imagery: High-quality images can resonate with a brand’s message. These include product photos, infographics, or illustrations—all consistent and aligned with the brand’s visual identity.
Crafting Compelling Copy
Compelling copy can do much more than propel a brand; it can change the cultural landscape. Look at the success of De Beers’ singular “A diamond is forever” slogan! Once you’ve determined the brand identity, bring it to life through intriguing copy for brand storytelling.
The brand’s voice and tone should be consistent across all written communications, including websites, social media posts, paid advertising, and even internal communications while working in harmony with visual assets.
Voice: Your brand voice is the personality you convey in your writing. Are you formal or casual? Professional or playful? Decide on a voice that aligns with your brand’s identity and stick to it.
Tone: While your voice should remain consistent, your tone can vary depending on the context. For example, your tone might be more serious in a press release but more light-hearted in a social media post.
Taglines and Slogans: A great tagline or slogan can encapsulate your brand's essence and make it memorable.
5. Craft a Memorable Tagline
The Power of a Great Tagline
A tagline is a short, memorable phrase that captures the essence of your brand. It should be concise, impactful, and reflective of your brand’s core values. Taglines are timeless representations of the brand that rarely change.
When crafting an engaging tagline, it’s essential to consider the purpose of your tagline, identify your audience, and remember some of our helpful tips below!
Tips for Creating an Effective Tagline
Strive for Simplicity: A tagline should be easy to remember and understand. Avoid jargon or complex language. Use vocabulary that’s accessible to everyone!
Make It Unique: Your tagline should set you apart from your competitors. Highlight what makes your brand special.
Focus on Benefits: Emphasize the benefits your customers will experience. De Beers’ “A diamond is forever” effectively communicates the lasting value and emotional significance of their product.
Make It Catchy: Your ideal tagline should be like an earworm that helps your brand’s messaging ‘stick.’
Keep It Brief: Word economy is your friend when it comes to the perfect tagline. If you can, keep your tagline under seven words.
This may seem like common sense, but it’s easy to overwrite taglines. Fewer words can convey the same meaning in a more powerful, potent way.
For example: “We are an army of one” is less impactful than “Army of One,” and “America Runs on Dunkin Donuts Coffee” is less memorable than “America Runs on Dunkin.”
6. Become an Expert in Your Field
Why Expertise Matters
Positioning yourself as an expert in your industry builds trust and credibility. It shows that you’re knowledgeable and reliable, which can differentiate you from competitors.
If your advertising budget is tight, don’t worry. You can utilize the inbound marketing strategy of content marketing to establish yourself as an expert in your field and draw prospective customers to you.
Content marketing provides an opportunity to strengthen your branding through a distinctive brand “voice” that should permeate the content, whether it’s a blog post, video tutorial, etc. For example, if you own a local bakery, you could create a branded video about making your own bread—we all know baking at home took off during the pandemic. When searching for bread recipes, consumers will find your content, learn more about you, and get valuable takeaways. And when they tire of sourdough starters, they’ll come to you for baked goods.
Strategies to Become an Expert
Content Marketing: Share valuable information through blogs, whitepapers, webinars, and social media. Provide insights, tips, and industry news to establish your authority.
Public Speaking and Conferences: Participate in industry events, webinars, and podcasts. Speaking engagements can boost your visibility and reputation.
Networking: Build relationships with other professionals in your industry. Attend networking events, join industry associations, and engage in online forums.
Customer Testimonials and Case Studies: Showcase your expertise through success stories from satisfied customers.
Brand Image Vs. Brand Identity
The difference between a brand identity and a brand image lies in the perception. Brand identity is how a business views itself and how it presents itself to the world. However, the brand image is how customers perceive the business.
Why does brand image matter?
A healthy brand image is the culmination of intuitive marketing and reliable services or products. The best marketing and outreach techniques will take into consideration how consumers feel about the brand. The are several ways to discover how consumers view your brand:
1. Online Reviews: Online reviews are worth their weight in gold for marketing professionals and business growth. Positive reviews can boost your brand image and attract new customers, while negative reviews can harm your brand's reputation, making outreach an uphill battle.
2. Social Media Presence: Your presence on social media platforms is another way to gauge how consumers perceive your brand. Are people engaging with your posts and sharing them? Do they have positive things to say about your products or services? This medium allows you to interact with customers in real-time and get a more accurate reading on the pulse of your marketing efforts and image.
Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
Key Takeaways
Branding is a powerful tool for small to mid-size businesses looking to make a mark in their industry. By developing a strong brand identity, crafting compelling visual assets and copy, cultivating a distinctive brand personality, and understanding your target audience, you can create a brand that stands out and resonates with customers. Remember, branding is an ongoing process that requires consistency, creativity, and a deep understanding of your market. With these strategies, you’re well on your way to building a brand that not only attracts customers but also turns them into loyal advocates.
Ask yourself these questions:
If I had to describe my company in three words, what would they be?
What do I want to be known for in the marketplace?
What kind of difference do I want to make in my industry?
Who is your ideal customer?
What is your POD (Point of Difference)?
The more clearly these questions are answered, the more clearly you’ll be able to convey your brand identity to the public. And when your brand identity is unmistakable, you’re much more likely to achieve market differentiation, gain a competitive advantage, and stick in consumers’ minds.
Are you ready to take your branding to the next level? Start implementing these strategies today and watch your business thrive. If you need personalized guidance, our team of experts is here to help you craft a brand that truly represents your vision and connects with your audience. Let’s build something amazing together!
