I am so often asked how to successfully brand a business, there are so many ways and strategies to improve and enhance your brand. The main thing with branding is you want your company name to ‘get out there’. You want people to see your business. When people see your logo, you want them to recognize it, know what you do and associate a culture to it. A good logo helps of course!
You can read a previous blog 8 Reasons to Focus on Branding about the importance of branding.
Think about Coca-Cola, for example. They have branded themselves so well over the years, that they don’t even need to say anything in their ads. All they need to do is show their logo or shape of their bottle, in fact, they have branded themselves so well that the shape of a bottle is now referred to as a ‘coke’ bottle. Ok, they have lots of money and lots of resources at their disposal to make sure their brand gets out there effectively. But there are some things you can do to attract local attention just as well!
Here are a few ways I believe will help you to get started on successfully branding your business:
1. Your logo is the first thing people recognize as unique to your business, so create a good one! And then, put your logo everywhere! Make it your profile picture on all your social media sites. Put it on your uniforms (if you wear uniforms). Put it on your business cards, brand your vehicle, sponsor events. Put it everywhere! Build brand equity quickly by exposing your logo as much as possible. (a side tip… when I say a good logo, I mean your logo should be clear what you do. It is no good seeing a logo all over town and no one knows what the company does!)
2. Your business branding extends to every aspect of your business–how you answer your phones, what you or your salespeople wear on sales calls, what your offices look like, your e-mail signature, how you respond to emails…everything. So, integrate your brand into your business day-to-day functions.
3. Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials. Use the same colour scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don’t need to be fancy, just consistent. You can find free online tools to assist in creating templates and designs for your business using the same colours, fonts and layout. Consistency is key!
Branding your business will set you apart from competitors. It is something to think hard over and to use to your advantage. Think of your target market and your overall business model to create a brand that is unique and eye-catchingly amazing!
What have you done to build brand equity?