Many small business owners think “I’m too small to have a big brand” or “I don’t need all this stuff” but the key is not size or $ or stuff- it’s consistency. A consistent brand presence sparks a connection between you and your customer and it builds recognition and trust. Having this goal is exactly where branding for small business starts and you build it up over time.
Most importantly- a consistent brand helps channel strangers to become prospects to become leads to become customers. Research suggests it takes somewhere between 5-12 consistent interactions or touch points for this process to happen and if your brand- the way you look, feel, say, do- is not consistent across the board, then you have interactions happening that aren’t counting toward that 5-12 and could even be driving people away.
Branding = everything
Branding consists of the way you look, feel and say.
Look: your logo, the colours you use, the font choices you make and the icons and shapes you use
Feel: the the way your ads make people feel, the general tone of your key messages
Say: the actual things you say, where you say them and who you are speaking to
The key is consistency
The best way to get started is to make some simple choices and then stick with them.
Choice #1: Colour- different colours have different meanings and evoke different feelings
Choice #2: Fonts- fonts can indicate if we are solid or whimsical and what the most important part of our messages is
Choice #3: Shapes- even if you don’t have a full logo yet, try choosing a shape or two that represents your business and play around with how they act together.
After you make these choices, they are going to change. Some immediately, some over time. Even the big brands have evolved to suit modern times. Iteration means you are making small changes over time while keeping the core consistent.
How do I get started?
You’ve already taken a step in the right direction by reading! The next step is to write down all of your choices and then refer to this guide whenever you make new content. If you’d like your very own basic branding guide- click here.
