Go From Local Competitor To Global Player With These Simple Yet Vital Branding Suggestions!
Running a small business has specific pressures and strains that make it a completely different endeavor to running a large corporation, which is why here at SHOUT! we’ve compiled a collection of suggestions that can help you to keep your small business competitive, and hopefully allow it to grow and flourish in the modern, global marketplace.
Know Your Audience
Whether your business is big or small, knowing your audience is key to maintaining a customer base and growing your business. However, for small businesses, this can be even more critical as smaller businesses tend to be more sensitive to shifts in customer habits. To keep ahead of the game, ensure you keep in the know with your audience’s preferences using market research tactics and use this knowledge carefully to implement your branding strategy.
Failure is Your Friend!
Ok, not literally, and of course you don’t want to fail to hit targets or visionary plans on a regular basis, but failure is an important part of learning how to run a business! It’s no coincidence that some of the most successful business owners in the world have stories of great failure; where they looked on the verge of descending into the abyss of bankruptcy, only to at the last minute hit the nail on the head with a great idea. The difference between these people and those that actually go bankrupt is their ability to learn from their mistakes and to prosper because of failure, not despite it. Ensure you take failure seriously, and recognize how you would do things a second time round to ensure it does not happen again!
Think Big!
Small business owners have a tendency to think small when it comes to branding, potential and market impact. This is often due to small business owners being so focused on carving out a place for their business that they forget they could potentially be competing in a global marketplace. By thinking big when planning and implementing your branding strategy, you will automatically be increasing your business’s chance of making that leap from a small-time local competitor, to a big-time global player!
Look Beyond Your Logo!
In a small business environment, distinguishing your brand from your logo can become difficult. Your brand is much more than just the logo, it’s the public personification of your company, and therefore includes everything from color schemes to public perception, and even in some cases customer experience. While it’s important to create a unique, eye-catching and memorable logo, don’t forget that branding is the whole package!
Customers Crave Creativity
To set your business apart from the rest, get creative with your branding ideas. This may include exciting vehicle wraps that make your branding mobile, or an ingenious branded cover for an everyday item that customers will carry with them and use regularly, leading to them gradually becoming accustomed to your brand. Being creative reflects your company’s ingenuity, making customers feel that the service you offer higher quality and more professional than your closest competitors!
Branding for small businesses has become a complex task in the modern age. This is largely fuelled by the multiple platforms that branding can take place on, and the increasingly competitive marketplace. Don’t be put off by this daunting fact! Being creative, open-minded and clever with your research can make your business better than the rest, and potentially make your small business grow into a global player!
