Let’s talk about small business branding.

When most people think of company branding, they think of large corporations with multi-million dollar campaigns and billion-dollar marketing budgets – the kind of companies with instantly recognizable logos, celebrity spokespeople, and Super Bowl ads.

And while they certainly have recognizable brands, there’s more to branding than splashiness or even visuals. Branding is for everyone. 

What Is Branding?

Branding is everything that makes a company (or individual) who they are. While we often use the term “brand” interchangeably with a company’s name, it’s much more than that. 

Another place people get branding wrong is believing it’s all about the visuals. Visuals are a part of branding, but your brand is your whole vibe and the deeper meaning of who you are. 

Many entrepreneurs and small businesses start their work without having a coherent image of who they are. They may even mistakenly believe that branding isn’t for them. 

But you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t figure out who you are, how you want to be perceived, and how people are already perceiving you. 

Elements of Small Business Branding

In a way, small business branding has an advantage over larger companies. Typically, there are fewer decision-makers, so there’s less red tape and a lower chance of watering something down because it needs to go through a committee. 

A good place to begin your branding is to consider your values, why you (or the founder) started the company, and how that’s changed. 

Mission and Values

One of the recurring themes of my blogs and social posts is authenticity. Without authenticity, it’s hard to take any action with your branding. 

You’ll be tempted to jump on every social trend or just not know where to begin.

That’s why I recommend starting with the basics – your mission and values. 

Why does your company do what it does? 

What does it do better than anyone else? 

What are the things that are most important to your company? Maybe it’s treating the customer like family. Maybe it’s getting all your employees home by 5. Whatever it is, begin with that. 

Also, consider what your employees and customers value the most about you. Like I say, if you’re a little pricey but have the best service, don’t try to sell to bargain shoppers. Likewise, the reverse is true. 

Voice and Tone

Now we get into the fun stuff – figuring out your voice and tone. 

If you’re doing your own marketing, it’s essential that everyone who participates understands your mission and values. Beyond that, they must also understand how you communicate. 

Before I work with a client, I send them a list of words. They tell me which ones they want associated with their brand and which they don’t. They’re words like friendly, formal, cheerful, helpful, and more. 

Here’s an example:

“The high quality of authenticity makes resignation constitutionally impossible.”

Vs

“Too Legit to quit.”

They both say the same thing, but the tones couldn’t be more different. The first is playful and uses a bit of slang. The second is very formal and even professorial.

While the example is silly and extreme, it illustrates my point. 

Visuals

Finally, we get to visuals, often the first thing people think of when they think of large or small business branding, though, as we’ve discussed, far from the whole of it. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which explains why some businesses spend so much on branding and rebranding. 

Your visual brand is your logo, your fonts, and your colors.

While there’s room for some intentional variation, your brand should be consistent across all platforms: websites, social, cards & brochures, and even uniforms & company vehicles. 

POP went with a comic book POP-art style that makes us instantly recognizable. (I have met people who remember my cards but not my face.)

It works really well for us, but I’m doubtful many law offices would feel comfortable with it. You need to know what’s right for you. 

What If You Already Have a Brand? 

At POP, small business branding is one of our favorite services. But our clients don’t love us just because we help them to brand. They love us because we’re good at maintaining their brand and staying within their voice. 

So even if your company already has an established brand, we can help! 

One of the most rewarding things I’ve heard (I’m proud to say repeatedly) from my clients is some variation of,  “It looks like something I would have said/written/etc.”

That’s what we do. That’s our brand. 

Ready to Power Up Your Small Business Branding? 

Whether you have an established brand, yours needs polishing, or you have no idea where to start, Power-Up Online Promotion is ready to help your business with its small business branding and marketing. 

We love helping you get to the next level or helping you maintain when you don’t have time to do it!

Give us a call to get started. And if you’re not ready yet, I hope today’s blog is helping you DIY it until you are.