7 Simple Brand & Branding Tips for Small Business

Looking for ideas on branding tips for small business? You don’t have to spend gazillions of dollars to create a great Brand and Brand Experience, but you do have to be committed to creating that great Brand Experience. Here’s a few simple ideas which if you implement will help you Brand your small business. (TIP. You do need to be committed to making this happen.

1. Your product is important. Your Brand is vital and ultimately what will determine whether you get repeat business, referrals and business growth. Remember, like it or not, your Brand is what your customers say it is NOT what you say it is.
2. There is a difference between Brand Promise and Brand. The Brand Promise is what you, the owner / manager of the Brand is what you say the Brand is, and what you would like it to be. However, the Brand is what consumers and customers experience. Your challenge is to ensure that customers experience the Brand Promise as you have defined it and leave speaking about their experience in a manner similar to your Brand Promise.
3. Identify the three words you want your customers to say about you / your product / your brand after they have left your premises, purchased and used your product or service. These three words are effectively your Brand Promise. Yes, you can get way more intense and in depth about the definition of Brand Promise, but this concept is simple, repeatable and (very important) memorable for everyone in your business. Let’s assume the three words you want your customers to say once they have left your business are “Fun, Quality, Attentive.”
4.  Ensure ALL your staff know what these three words are. If they don’t, you have zero chance of creating the type of customer / Brand Experience you wish to convey.
5. Having identified, and got buy in, to the three word Brand Promise, ask yourself and employees “What do we have to do to get customers to say ‘Fun, Quality, Attentive,’ about us after they have experienced our product / service / Brand.
6. Reframe why you and employees come to work every day in terms of the three word Brand Promise. “My job is to ensure customers have a Fun, Quality, Attentive experience.”
7. Reinforce this Brand Promise regularly. You can do this very effectively by asking employees to recount examples of the Brand Promise in action. Another effective reinforcement technique is complement, complement, complement each time you see the Brand Promise in action.

Hope you found theses Branding Tips for Small Business useful. My personal belief is that if you implement these simple and INEXPENSIVE Branding Tips for Small Business, you will grow your Brand and grow your business.

Best wishes to you on your business journey.

Levis was once a small business, but grew initially through word of mouth.

Conor Cunneen presenting to packed house at Aurora Sales Institute

For more information on this Chicago based Marketing and Business Speaker, check Conor’s Marketing, Leadership, Branding Speaker page.

Branding Tips for Small Business