When we speak of branding, most of the time, people try to relate it to a big business house. However, the fact is that every business needs to establish its brand to survive the competition. This is nothing new; experts and management gurus had been preaching the same sermon for years now, but what they have not told is why you need to brand your small business? How is branding going to help you to establish your business? How can you build your brand without spending a fortune on it?
You might be having a tiny business, but would you like your client to perceive your business as a small-time entrepreneurial effort? Not, and your business cards, letterheads, and other marketing collaterals do just that. They create an impression to your clients that you are an established business house of considerable strength and not just a mom-n-pop shop.
While you have read till this much, you might have started to plan to get a few home-printed business cards or visit the website where you saw the preformatted business cards being sold for peanuts. Beware! The quality of your business card is an indication of the status of your business, and your clients are intelligent enough to understand the difference between a standard designed perforated business card and a professionally designed business card printed on good quality card stock.
Most of us, including you, would prefer to consider the stability of a company before making a purchase decision. Once you have established your brand with a professionally designed logo, business card, and other marketing efforts, it becomes much easier for you to build your credibility among the customers.
Getting a professionally designed custom logo is one of the essential elements of branding a business. A logo is not just a symbol or a piece of graphics; it is your corporate identity. A properly designed logo can leave long-lasting impressions on your clients and will never let your business slip out of their minds. It also makes your business easily recognizable. Just think, wherever you see the Golden M of McDonald’s, do you need to think twice, what company is that referring to? A good logo should ideally exude the nature and attitude of the business.
Once you have a logo for yourself, it becomes easier for you to establish your brand. You can use that logo in your business cards, letterheads, and other accessories. Don’t you think it is going to make a difference if the pack that you use to deliver your products to your customer has the logo of your company on it? And if you are using a reusable pack, your customer might just use the same package to pass on some other goods to one of his friends- what happens then? Yes! Your logo gets noticed by one other person; you add one more name to the list of your potential customers. You are on your way to establishing your brand.
Similarly, with business cards, as they get passed on from one person to the other, more and more people know about your business, and the potential customer base increases.
Having a business card or a professionally designed logo also shows your commitment to your business.
A short, easy to remember punch line is another useful tool for branding. Getting a tag line printed on your business cards or your business stationery makes it easier for people to understand the nature of your business. Ideally, your tag line should not only say about what you do but also speak about your USP.
Having said all that, the ultimate question that most of the small business people would have is, how much does it cost to get all these things done? I’d say, “not much.” Money is always a problem for most of the small businesses (that’s why they are small. Otherwise most of us would like to open a Microsoft and be as productive as Bill Gates), but if you know where to look for, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a professionally designed logo or a business card. There are websites and companies like Influence Media Solutions that offer them cheaply, and some even allow you to decide the price that you want to pay such as Upwork. Be carefully with these because it’s hard to know who you are hiring.
So, if you think you are tired of being a “small business,” and it’s time to grow up, take the first step; establish your brand!
