When you set up a small business, you’re going to have one thing on your mind: profit. This profit will ultimately be generated by selling your services or goods to the consumer, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work before you’ll even get to the point of your first sale. Now, chances are you’ve already focused on developing your products and services. You’ve probably put a whole lot of effort into your product design, you’re likely to have done your market research to get to grips with your target audience’s wants and needs, and you’ve probably gone through manufacturing and testing processes to come up with the ultimate product. But at the end of the day, no matter how innovative your design may be, it’s highly likely there’s someone out there selling something similar or you’re quickly going to get copy cat competitors who put a similar product on the market pretty soon after you. So, what can you do to stand out from the crowd? Well, the key is branding. Here’s everything you need to know on the subject to achieve success!
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What Is Branding?
Branding is when you give your company a distinct name, a style, and an aesthetic that helps consumers immediately identify a product as coming from your company. If your products are quality, you’re going to want to put a brand name on it. Most companies will have their brand name as their company name. They will then come up with logos, colour schemes and other things that can be added to products, packaging and advertising to identify certain assets as coming from you.
Developing a Brand
To develop a brand that will help your company sell, you’ll have to make sure you’re appealing to your target audience. You need to take their preferences into account and build your brand around it. Many companies also use psychology in their branding. Many successful food companies will use the colours red and yellow, as these are associated with triggering hunger. These clever tricks can all help your products to sell even more.
Distributing Free Branded Material
To help your brand spread as a reputable and desirable thing to have or engage with, you’re going to have to get your brand name out there. A good way to achieve this is to distribute free and branded promotional material to potential customers. You can set up promotional campaigns where members of promotional staff distribute these items on your behalf, or you could put some free branded material into the parcels of customers who have already ordered from you. Not only will the people on the receiving end of this process be thrilled at a free gift, but it makes a way for your brand name to establish itself into your customer’s life. Choose items that these people will actually get use out of. This will make them put these items in places where they will see them (and consequently see your brand name) on a regular basis. If you include a free branded air freshener in your customer’s order, they will be happy to have a free air freshener (creating positive associations with your brand), but then this air freshener will be in their car. They will see your brand name on a daily basis as they use their vehicle to get from A to B. Your brand will be in the back of their mind each time they head out! If you give a customer a branded pen, they’ll think of your company every time they need to write something down. Pens are also an item that are passed on from one person to another – so your brand name can spread in this way too.
Branded Uniforms
You may want to consider giving your members of staff branded uniforms. The type of branded uniform you provide may differ according to the type of role individual staff members undertake – anything from branded shirts to branded Personalised Hoodies or branded caps could do! The benefit of branded uniforms is that people will know your staff are working for your company and (as long as you have good members of staff), your brand name will become synonymous with good customer service. Your staff are also likely to wear their uniform into work and out of work on the way home, so it means they will pass more people who will see your brand name as a result. The more your brand name is seen, the more familiar people become with your company and its offerings. Even the most discreet mention or presence of your brand name can make a big difference and drive sales.
Branded Advertising
Of course, you can use your brand name and branding in direct advertising too. It’s absolutely astounding the number of small business owners who funnel money into posters, billboards, and other forms of tangible advertising and don’t highlight their brand name in it. It’s all good and well selling your products, but if people don’t see a brand name or logo around the product, they’re unlikely to associate it with your company. They may see something you’re offering advertised, but if your branding is tiny in a corner somewhere, they’re likely to just remember the product, search for the product and then may end up buying it from a competitor. So, make sure your brand name is big and bold for all to see in your advertising. It needs to be prominent – otherwise, what are you paying for? The same goes for online ads of any sort too!
As you can see, proper branding is absolutely essential for any small company. This is what will establish you as a reputable name in your field, so make sure to put effort into this area of your business! Hopefully, the above advice will help you to get started in the right direction!
- This post has been written by an outside source – See Disclosure Policy
