Branding Your Small Business

Simple advertising isn’t enough to set your business apart from competitors. Everybody advertises. You need an identity. You need a brand.
What do you think about when you see that Nike swoosh?
“Just do it”, Jordan, a runner, or other athlete?
Although it may seem easy to make such a logo, it takes time, planning, and consistent effort to build the brand that encompassed in the logo. Before you put forth the investment needed to develop your own brand, let’s go over some simple dos and don’ts that we follow when creating your brand.

 

Don’t Be Vague

Without a decisive, original twist used to define your company and product, your branding efforts will be fruitless and result in just another generic advertising campaign. Avoid empty, hyphenated, adjectives like “award-winning”, “best-selling”, and “world-class”.
Don’t be afraid to be bold. Brand creation is not an exact science. Only by experimenting will you develop something original that sticks in customers’ heads. We’ll partner with to make sure that the brand is targeted and meaningful to your audience.

Don’t Try to Emulate Another Company’s Brand

One strategy some companies go for is to try and piggyback off the established brand of a successful nationwide company. You may think that you can siphon some of the hard-earned reputation of whichever company you’re copying, but you won’t. It’s too obvious. Instead, your product will be perceived as a cheap knock-off, which customers will likely avoid.
We can help you to develop ideas and strategies for your brand. Your company’s originality, style, leadership, and vision should be the cornerstones of your brand.

Do Keep It Simple

It’s difficult to be both original and simple. The more toppings you load on to your logo and theme, the more it stands out from others. But there is a drawback to this cluttered approach: the more elements you involve in your brand, the more there is for your customer to remember. And the more there is to remember, the more likely your customer is to forget. If you want your brand to stick, you’ll be better off keeping it simple.
We also find that a simple brand is best for small businesses. It allows for a more targeted response and makes design of media, merchandising, and other items cheaper to produce.

Give Your Brand a Personality That Fits Your Product

Back to the Nike swoosh: it may be simple, but isn’t it a great visual approximation of what Nike represents? The swoosh is active, it suggests movement. That’s perfect for a company that specializes in sportswear.
You have to do more than make a logo and theme that look nice. Your brand has to be connected with what you are selling if you expect customers to connect your brand to your product.