When people say ‘branding’, our thoughts go straight to a logo, because the logo becomes the face of our business. Ideally, you want to have a clean, professional logo design that people can recognise instantly. While striving for your logo to be memorable, that is not quite enough, as it also has to have a clear representation of your company’s values and services. It might sound like a lot, but there are plenty of design teams who can help you create a logo that is right for your business. 

Recognition works like a snowball effect, so gradually people will start to see and know your brand which leads to this desired ‘snowball’ effect of more and more people suddenly becoming familiar with who your business is. Recognition is important for many reasons, particularly for increasing revenue and for acquiring new customers. Unfortunately, recognition is not something that occurs overnight. So do not be disheartened if your brand isn’t getting the attention you had hoped straight away. Patience and persistence are key when it comes to achieving brand recognition.

Good branding is essential for establishing a trusting relationship with your customers. This is because a familiar brand tends to be associated with credibility. A businesses’ website will be particularly important in establishing trust, and so it is worth researching the different website design companies, such as https://www.paddlecreative.co.uk/, that can do the hard work for you. A well-designed website will give you a competitive edge and reinforce your branding’s recognition. Typically your website will have a colour scheme and ‘vibe’ that is similar to your logo. If the two are inconsistent with one another this is what can lead to distrust from the customer.

Developing a marketing strategy plan will come after you have developed a secure and suitable brand. Without branding, your marketing will not be able to take off as your business clearly hasn’t decided on its purpose, values and image. Marketing and branding go hand in hand, one cannot be successful without the other. Where you choose to advertise your brand will say a lot about your business. So be mindful when you are choosing what platforms to advertise on as you don’t want to have too narrow of a focus and risk hurting your chances of expanding into brand-new markets. If you are ever feeling overwhelmed by all there is to learn when it comes to marketing, seek out help from freelancers and personal consultants to help point you in the right direction. The bottom line is small businesses have to work harder to get their brand out there, but if you have good branding, your marketing strategy will be easier to configure. 

This point can come as a surprise, as a lot of people can be confused as to what the relationship between branding and employee motivation is exactly. Well, employees will find value not just in the work that they do, but the work that they represent. If a business has a strong branding image that clearly shows what its mission is, employees are more likely to take pride in the work they do and will work harder to help the business achieve its desired mission. 

Small businesses should strive to make their values clear through their branding so that the types of employees they hire are likely to align with these values. Having a strong brand can make employees proud to work for your business and this makes the world of difference to the general work ethic of members of staff.

All in all, there is no shortage of reasons as to why branding is very important for small businesses. However, the four reasons explored above are crucial in getting small businesses off the ground. They build the foundations for your businesses’ success. So make sure you are patient and take the time to research, experiment and understand how branding works and how best you should brand your small business.