Branding Your Business - Why It Matters

If you’re a small business, you may think that branding is just a luxury that only the “big guys” have. But even the smallest of businesses must have consistent branding in order to be successful, and it’s not really a luxury but more of a necessity if you want your business to thrive and grow.

Branding your business does not have to be expensive, either, although it’s a good idea to invest in having some of the basic elements designed by a professional, such as your logo and your web site. Beyond that, the most important branding that you can do is to be consistent with every piece of communication you touch. For instance:

• Put your logo on everything – business cards, letterhead, your web site, invoices, advertisements, email signatures, and every piece of marketing collateral that you produce.
• Stick with a consistent color palette – if your corporate colors are shades of blue and gray, don’t send out something that’s lime green and orange just because it’s trendy.
• The same goes for fonts – make sure your company name and information always appears in the same font. Save the fancy fonts for headlines or other parts of the marketing piece.
• The quality of your marketing materials (business cards, web design, etc.) is a direct reflection of the professionalism of your business, so don’t attempt to “do-it-yourself” unless you’re sure the result will be credible.

Another key element to successfully branding your business is reinforcing your message through all of your business communications. A slogan or “tag line” can help with that. (For example, if you need to buy insurance, where will you be “in good hands”?) Make sure that the tone of your writing conveys the underlying message you want to send, and is consistent with the overall impression of your business that you want the public to have. If you are “the company that cares,” say so in all of your communications across all channels.

Establishing your brand is a necessary part of building your business, no matter how big or how small it is. Branding will not only help people remember your business, but also make it easier for them to understand the nature of what you do and why they should pay attention. Branding is your corporate identity, so make sure your brand sends the right message to the right people in everything you say and do for your business.