Today there are over 30 million small businesses in the United States. Many Americans love supporting local businesses and despite the current pandemic, small business owners aren’t going anywhere. With so many companies already established, opening up a brand new business can seem daunting.
But is it really?
Luckily for you we’ve created a guide to help you understand how to build your company’s brand in order to stand out amongst the competition.
STORY
Every brand has a story. Think about the reason behind why you are opening up shop. Be open and honest about your struggles, accomplishments and goals. What is the purpose behind your business?
A brand’s story is what makes them unique and helps their customers connect with the brand. Millennials and Gen-Z value brands that they can identify with. These two generations have no problem paying extra for something if it’s for a brand they believe in.
Telling your story in the right way can cultivate a culture that will develop a loyal customer base.
LOGO
A logo is a symbol that represents your brand. Oftentimes business owners make the mistake of trying to communicate their story through their logo. Logos are not a form of communication, they are an icon, a symbol, a consistent mark that is applied throughout the visuals of the brand.
The misconception of communication can result in a logo consisting of unnecessary elements. For example, a coffee shop might think their logo needs to include a coffee cup with steam coming from it. The purpose of the logo is not to tell your customers what you do, but rather, to have people recognize your brand when they see the logo.
Another important factor when it comes to a logo is simplicity. Because the logo acts as a symbol, you want it to be as simple as possible while still achieving its purpose. Logos get applied everywhere; business cards, billboards, clothing, and various screen sizes. Because of all of these different materials and sizes, having a logo that is simple will ensure consistency throughout various applications.
BRAND GUIDELINES
Your brand’s guidelines are elements that make up your brand’s identity and provide a guide of how and when those elements should be applied.
Some of the things included in a brand’s guidelines are:
- Logo
- Colors
- Typography
- Message
- Photo/Video Style
- Visual Aesthetic
All of these things are what make up your brand’s identity and the guidelines surrounding them is what helps to reinforce that identity. A good example would be having a plan of when to use what color from your brand guide or that all of your photos should incorporate certain details. This thought process gives each one of your elements a purpose and creates consistency that your customers will appreciate and expect.
ONLINE PRESENCE
There are many different things that make up a company’s online presence. We are going to focus on what we consider to be the three most important areas; a website, Google MyBusiness and social media.
Website
Having a website is the most important piece of your company’s online presence. Believe it or not, some businesses still don’t have a website.
One of the main benefits of having a website is that unlike Facebook or Instagram, you actually own your website. You do not own your Instagram account, and there’s nothing stopping Facebook from taking down your Facebook account if you unknowingly break their rules.
Your website gives you a wider reach to potential customers. Let’s say your business only has an Instagram. You see likes and comments on your posts consistently and think that you don’t need a website because enough people are seeing your content. What you’re not seeing are the people who don’t have an Instagram account and cannot see anything about your business. When it comes to a website, people aren’t required to have an account in order to view your content. This can result in more people seeing who you are and converting into a customer.
Another benefit to owning your own website is that you can make it look however you want. You don’t have to follow the same template that your competitors are using. A website should be unique to the business it’s representing as this will help reinforce your brand. There are many ways to go about getting a website. One of the more affordable ways is to create it yourself.
If you’re considering making your own website, here’s a helpful resource on the top 5 website builders available now.
Google MyBusiness
You know that page that comes up on Google when you search for a local business? The one that shows the reviews and business hours? That page is Google MyBusiness.
Your company may already have a Google MyBusiness page but you still need to claim it. By claiming your MyBusiness page, you can respond to customer reviews, provide updates about your company and edit your hours of operation. To claim your MyBusiness page, click the link on the page that asks “Do you own this business?” Google will walk you through a simple verification process in order to gain access to the account.
Having a Google MyBusiness page is incredibly helpful especially if you get great reviews. A good example of this in action is if someone is searching for a local dentist on Google. Google will provide the searcher with a list of dentists and their review ratings. The searcher can now browse through to find the best dentist based on reviews and distance from them.
Social Media
There are a wide variety of social media platforms available but that doesn’t mean your business needs to or should engage in all of them. The most active social media platforms in the United States are Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Having social media accounts can be helpful to giving your customers a more personal insight into your company. If you are targeting a Gen-Z audience, social media is a must in order to maximize your reach.
Social media gives your customers a way to receive quick updates about your business. If your customers are following your accounts, they will typically see your updates in real time, depending on how active they are on social media. This provides a great way to communicate with your customers about changes happening at your business.
CAMPAIGN
Now that you have the pieces in place for your brand it is time to create a campaign. The campaigns we are referring to are organized marketing efforts that utilize your brand in order to reach a goal. Campaigns can be big or small and can vary in length.
Let’s go back to our coffee shop example and say that you are creating a new drink item for your customers, call it the Cosmic Latte. Your goal is to sell 1,000 Cosmic Lattes in a month. Now that we know the goal and the length of the campaign, we can decide on what avenues to take in order to reach the goal.
During this campaign we are going to utilize three promotional platforms; our website, Instagram and our building.
On the website we will place a large banner at the top of the home page promoting the Cosmic Latte for a limited time with a call to action being “try one today!” Anyone who visits the website within this campaign period will see the promotion.
For Instagram we are going to do a photoshoot of people drinking the Cosmic Latte. We will set up scenes throughout the building and local areas of our target demographic enjoying their Cosmic Lattes. We will strategically post these photos throughout the weeks of the campaign and during the times where our users are most active on Instagram.
Our in-store promotions will include a variety of printed elements that incorporate our brand colors, typography and logo, all while promoting the Cosmic Latte. When a customer walks up to our store they will see window graphics promoting the featured item. Once inside the store, the customer will see the Cosmic Latte featured on the menu at the counter.
All of these efforts will be strategically implemented and well thought out, so that we incorporate the brand and present the promotion in a way that is natural for our brand and to our customers.
Well there you have it, a guide to get you started with your company’s branding. Feeling like all of this is too much to handle?
We are here to help!
At FABLE we specialize in helping businesses with their brands. If you’d like our help in telling your brand’s story, reach out to us today at hi@fablestudios.io and we will help you!
