The importance of branding is a discussion that comes up a lot with entrepreneurs and small business owners. And in short, branding not only legitimizes your business but also provides a sense of direction for employees, customers, and potential new audiences that may not know what you’re all about. Building your brand identity that speaks to who you are and what you offer clearly conveyed throughout your social media, your website, as well as in person is the first impression people will have about you and your business. 

Whether you’re an esthetician, florist, photographer, or personal trainer, your marketing materials, signage, and advertisements will leave more of an impact when you create a consistent brand. Your customers will recognize your brand instantly, setting you apart from your competitors. And no, it’s not just fancy fonts and pretty colors.It’s more. Developing your brand message in your business doesn’t have to be a painful process but it is a necessity that shouldn’t be overlooked. 

How to Brand Your Business

Now, when creating a brand, most people think it is as simple as having a memorable logo and selecting a few key colors to incorporate throughout your business, but it’s more than that. Knowing the difference between branding vs marketing is a must. A brand needs to incorporate your business’ beliefs as well as portray a personality that customers can feel and connect with without a physical person needing to be present. Think about your business mission, your values, what you are looking to offer, how you plan to execute your services and who you are planning to serve. 

The key is to build a brand that speaks for itself so if and when you hand off some of the workload like marketing and social media, your brand should already be clearly identified. This allows for cohesive marketing even if done by an outside social media management team, content creator, or marketing specialist. Your branding creates the tools that act almost like templates to build upon for all of your marketing. Be sure to share your business mission with the experts if handed over, again, so this may be carried through in all of your messaging.

The next step is learning how to distinguish your brand from others that may be similar. What is your unique selling proposition and how can you convey it to your customers? In the past, branding was used to lure consumers in and would often result in loud graphics that didn’t truly speak to your business. It was purely about being “eye-catching” and “attention-grabbing”. Now to keep your consumers interested your brand needs to build a connection with them, create a clear message for them to follow, and generate loyalty. Creating your unique selling proposition (USP) means taking time to identify what actually makes you unique in highly competitive markets and is what can make you stand out among all the noise online. 

When opening a business you may want to attract anyone and everyone at first but this is a common misconception. For your business to succeed you want to attract the individuals that will help you grow. If you are creating a business that will be of high quality, that will deliver more expensive services backed by years of experience and education, you can’t market yourself in a manner that will attract discount shoppers, bargain chasers, and people only looking for quick deals. These generally won’t convert to loyal customers for you. You want your branding to resonate with the demographic you are targeting to create a loyal bond that will have customers and clients coming back. To attract the right demographic you want to use target branding, which includes everything from typefaces and color selections to custom photography that makes all the difference to who you’re attracting. You can even research color theory psychology if you’d like an informative read on how to choose brand colors and what the best brand colors for small businesses are. Color psychology dives deep into this specific topic of how colors invoke certain emotional responses within us. So choosing colors that work for your brand but also considering how these colors make people feel will put you ahead in the process when considering your business’s brand identity. 

The best part is, you don’t have to do this alone

At this point, your brain may be doing somersaults with all of this new information. Trust me I know how you feel. Not long ago, I went through this exact process. Maybe you had no idea what branding entails or you’re starting to see areas where your brand could be stronger. Maybe you haven’t even completed a business mission. You may even be wondering, what in the world is a typeface and how can the typeface used in my logo impact the audience I attract? Side note – each variation of a typeface is a font. For example, if Gotham is a typeface, then Gotham Italic Bold is a font within that typeface. Does that make sense? Again, I know it’s a lot. And when starting a business especially if you’re an entrepreneur, this can be extremely overwhelming. However, if your budget allows for it I would definitely make the suggestion to hire an expert in logo design that can also assist with all things branding. And don’t even get me started on web design. That is something I would always invest in if it’s an option in your budget. 

If all of this is leaving you feeling overwhelmed and like you need more guidance, I’m here to help you and your business succeed. The internet is a wealth of knowledge filled with branding tips for entrepreneurs if you have to go it alone. I suggest you look to business mentors and do your research. I can’t stress enough about getting clear with the mission of your business and your intentions. This will aid as a roadmap to guide you down your path of branding whether done by yourself or an expert.