3 Reasons Why Branding Your Small Business is so Important

Why is branding your small business so important? In this blog, we explore how brand can become a key differentiator in a crowded marketplace, especially for small businesses:

Maybe you know someone who has just launched a business, or perhaps you’re thinking about taking your side project to the next level. Whatever your narrative might be, there’s often one common trait between all new businesses… jumping right into the deep end and focus on ‘doing the do’. It’s new, it’s exciting and with the potential of new growth opportunities sitting on the horizon, try-line glory (for those Six Nations fans) becomes the next best thing. But wait a minute, read this and consider the next steps at the end.

Branding… huh?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, don’t think of brand as the tip of the iceberg, think of it as everything else that’s underneath. It’s the culture, the experience, the nuances you see on social media, how you communicate to customers, and the most obvious: what you actually look and feel like as a business. It seems ‘intangible’ to many, but when it directly impacts the bottom line; how you price, generate new business and the reason your ROB is higher than most, it becomes quite important. 

Here’s 3 reasons why you should consider going hard on brand for your small business:

1. Credibility

It takes time to build credibility in your marketplace, and it comes down to a huge variety of professional touch-points consumers have with your business. It’s not something that can or will happen over night. But, one thing is certain, without a professional brand behind your product or service, it’s going to be twice as hard (oh and by the way, professional doesn't mean corporate, it just means professional…) Think about when you buy something from a company you’ve not heard of. You look at their website, flick through their stock, maybe look at some reviews or go on social media. Whatever the product might be, you engage with their branding through a variety of ways, whether you realise it or not. If your interactions ‘feel good’, the product & UX looks slick and resonates with your interests (i.e. you’re their ideal target market) you convert and buy what it is they’re selling. Alternatively, if something feels unsure or doesn’t quite add up (inconsistency), you probably won’t. This about the same process as a business owner - build the brand and get those touch-points seamless.

2. Awareness

Awareness is a critical and an early step to gaining traction. Having an effective brand that helps you become recognisable within the marketplace is a big win. Creating this familiarity with ‘who you are’ as a business through consistency, social marketing and a stand-out design is huge when it comes to building a community of potential consumers that, if everything aligns correctly, will be lifelong supporters. In order to make this decision easier for your audience, and to make sure your business has the BEST possible chance to grow, building this awareness through brand storytelling will become your best friend…

3. Storytelling

Storytelling wins. It just does. The consumer connection you develop through telling your brand story, providing it’s nothing but authentic, can be super powerful. After all, consumers rarely have relationships with a product, it’s about the connection to the brand that will leave them shopping with you vs your competitor. Sharing your values, your narrative and leaving your audience feeling like they resonate with who you truly are, will win every time. Think of brand storytelling as a vehicle that carries consumers to your online store, it won’t make them convert on it’s own, but that’s where the other pieces of the puzzle start to come together.

Ultimately, branding your small business won’t instantly make it a success and I’m sure you know that. But, in what can be a challenging journey anyway, brand can and will be the differentiator. Can you really afford to neglect yours?

Next Steps: 

✅ Sign up to our Newsletter to receive useful brand tips

✅ Contact us here or email josh@blueberry-media.co.uk

✅ Be excited to create something special!