Small business branding is more important than ever, according to a recent study on small business owners in Canada: 84 percent said that branding equals success. However, there are some interesting findings which are showing that small businesses can do even BETTER with their branding.
In general, small businesses in Canada acknowledge that branding is vital to their success. However, a whopping 86 percent of them believe that DIY their branding is the way to go.
That figure is interesting, because it turned out that, despite the importance of branding, small business owners choose to seek third party help on other areas, like legal or accounting; it seems that branding is still not as important as accounting, legal, payroll and so on.
Well, it’s about time to set things straight: Branding is no longer one of the most important areas in small business survivability; it’s critical in determining a small business’ success – let’s say that it’s a must-do.
Why small businesses need to invest on branding effort
The answer is pretty straightforward: The right brand campaigns boost your bottom line.
How 35 percent sales increase due to branding via digital videos? How about attracting 1,000 buyers in 6 months using Facebook ads?
It’s often difficult to value your brand in monetary value, but you can surely measure the impact of your branding effort.
And oftentimes, it’s better to hire a trusted agency to help you in your branding effort than Do-It-Yourself although there are some companies that offer a bit of hand-holding. For example, Stealing Share’s EmBrand helps you walk through branding projects online.
How to boost your brand – with or without third party help
Whichever route you take, there is a common ground for ways you can boost your brand effectively and efficiently. How?
1. Become an authority
Lorrie Thomas Ross, CEO of Web Marketing Therapy said that regardless of the size of your business, you need to elevate your position to authority status, becoming a thought-leader in your industry. This way, you can compete with the big guys, as – just like Ms. Ross mentioned, “…people don’t just hire businesses, they hire authorities.”
2. Build a brand personality
Following the best practice in branding is great, but you need to have a personality to your brand. You don’t want yours to be “just 1 in a million.” You want to be unique, and a small business can achieve that. Even Lois Geller wrote in Forbes that “small businesses should be even better at projecting their personalities online than big companies.” Well said.
3. Be real with your brand value
Ed Roach, the branding expert, mentioned on Startup Nation that you need to be real in presenting yourself as a brand: You need to walk the talk. Ed explained in an example: “If you say that customer service is an important value BUT you leave the potential customer on hold for twenty minutes, then what does that say about your service? If integrity is a value, then trust in you is paramount.”
So, how about you? Have you done enough with your small business branding? Have you invested your resource adequately to support the importance of branding?
Photo credit: Jim Moran
