9 Branding Tips for Small Biz
| posted by Nick RiceThink
branding is only for large multi-national corporations? Think again.
Here are 9 easy tips you can use to grow your brand with your client or
customers.
- The design of your logo really doesn’t matter in the end.
Would you choose Yahoo as your search engine over Google because of their
logo? No. How about Dell over Apple? Audi over BMW? Delta over
Southwest? Nope. Nope. Nope. Having a nice professionally designed logo
is great, but it very rarely increases sales by itself. Now,
before you freak out, I’m all for a professional logo. If you’re using
some crappy Microsoft clipart style logo, that definitely won’t cut it.
Professional logos are cheap today. It’s more important to use your
logo consistently. Put it on business cards,
letterhead, envelopes, invoices, yellow page ads, building signage,
newsletters, etc… It’s more important to be consistent and for it to
visually represent what you want your company to stand for. If you
value creativity, don’t have a logo that looks like everyone else. If
you value stability, don’t have a logo that looks too fluffy and airy.
Don’t “boil the ocean” trying to get it perfect. Your logo is just one minor
element of branding. - Have a professional website.
It’s not just good enough to just have a website, you must reflect your
desired brand image. If your known as a top notch photographer, the
last thing you want is a website designed 10 years ago. It doesn’t
reflect well on you. Everyone--yes everyone--uses the web today to
gauge credibility. If someone recommends your
service, you can almost guarantee that the prospect will go online to
look for you. Your website design should be updated at least every two
years to stay current. Your website is your #1 marketing tool. Done right, it can become your best sales person–and always
focus on what your client gets from working with you, not what you do. - Blogs are good.
Blogs help your business on multiple levels. First off, publishing
valuable content on a consistent basis will make you look like an
expert. People are looking for experts, not jack-of-all-trades. The software
that powers your blog platform has multiple advantages. It’s very easy to publish
without technical knowledge. It’s a database driven environment where
style is separate from content so you will not need to go back to your
web design agency for every little change. And use of tags and sitemaps
make basic search engine optimization easy. But the real reason blogs
are great is that they enable conversation. Two-way dialog is much more
valuable than a company that just dumps messaging and collateral on
their customers. - Blogs are good, but they’re just one tool.
A blog should not be your sole marketing strategy. You should have a
comprehensive multi-touch marketing plan to get your value proposition
in front of your target audience. This can take many forms. You can
launch a direct mail campaign, email campaign, host a webinar, sponsor
a local event, attend a trade show, attend networking events, host
seminars, cold call prospects, win awards, set up joint ventures, take a leadership role in industry groups, etc… There are a thousand
different ways for you to be noticed. You need to be working at least
three different marketing strategies to grow your business - referrals
alone won’t get you where you want to go. Data shows that people need
to be exposed to a brand at least seven times before they buy. If you
simply do one touch and stop, you’re wasting valuable budget dollars
and probably wondering why your efforts are not successful. There are
11 different marketing strategies that professional service firms can
employ successfully. I recommend working a minimum of three separate
marketing strategies all the time;
this way you ensure that your audience is exposed to your message in
multiple formats. - Prepare a one page corporate overview.
This one pager will be vital as a leave behind when you meet a
prospect. Use short sentences in short paragraphs - people like to read
quickly. Also make it very conversational; it’s not a white paper. Your
one page overview should highlight that you understand the pain points
of your target audience, how those pain points affect their business,
the benefits gained by addressing those pains and a mini-case study -
and don’t forget your contact information and a strong call to action. The one page format will force you to choose your words for maximum effectiveness--and this always means focusing on your target audience instead of you. - Participate in local business groups/events.
And by participate, I mean be on a committee. Just showing up at events
is great, but you’re just a face in the crowd. Ask to be on one of the
committees. Believe it or not, it’s as simple as just asking most of
time. Groups are looking for volunteer help and it’s a great way to
elevate your status and visibility among the entire organization. - Do what you say you’re going to do.
I know it may sound like common sense, but one of the primary drivers
of brand loyalty is a consistent experience. If you say you’re going to
have the deliverable ready on a set day, be sure its ready. Nothing
leaves a bad taste in someone’s mouth like unmet expectations. Positive
experiences lead to good feelings which lead to telling their friends.
But don’t forget that bad experiences spread much faster and are harder
to overcome - if you get a chance at all. - Stand for something.
People latch on to something they can understand and appreciate. If
you’re trying to be everything to everybody, chances are you’ll attract
no one. If you think it’s too controversial or risky choosing a niche,
remember the power of being seen as an expert. Experts are not good at
every thing, they’re awesome at one thing. This allows you to better
position yourself and charge more for your services. People seek out
(and pay more for) experts, not generalists. - Realize that you’re not in control of your brand.
That’s right, you only set the direction for your brand. Your actual
brand image is determined by your audience. You can use these tips to
ensure alignment between your desired brand image and your actual brand
image in the minds of your customers. Branding isn’t a one shot deal,
it’s an on-going juggling act of marketing, research and conversation.
If you’re not tapping into those conversations with your audience, how
do you know what their real impression of you is? How will you know how
to address it? Brand growth comes from alignment. You have to ensure
that your actions and marketing efforts put out the image you desire.
But you cannot stop there–those are pre-sales activities that get you
noticed–and hopefully bought. You also have to ensure that all actions
during the sale and post-sale are positive and in line with your
desired brand image. If your audience has a different view of you than
you’d like, then your brand is out of alignment and you need to address
it. - BONUS TIP:
Branding is as much about you and your people as anything else. Never forget
that the best chances for positive brand reinforcement comes from
one-on-one conversations between executives, employees, suppliers,
customers and prospects. Every interaction is a chance to create,
reinforce or erode brand equity. All it takes is one stupid mistake or
harsh word to send it all crashing to the ground.
Unfortunately, branding is one of the most over-used and misunderstood
words in business today–strategy is a close second. But, proper
branding is critical to your long term success.
Effective branding is all about
ensuring that your target audience feels what you want them to feel
about your company and offerings. When you’re able to evoke the
emotions that you want them to feel, your brand will grow and you’ll
create more loyal and profitable customers. It’s not easy, but it’s
what separates everyday firms from world-class firms.
--
Nick Rice
I work with professional service firm owners who struggle with marketing and want more clients with less effort. Download my free report, "7 Principles of Attracting More Clients" at http://www.nick-rice.com
