Do you ever find it frustrating when you see a small business with a great idea for a product or service, but no consistent way of differentiating themselves from their competition? Or maybe you’ve seen a few business ideas come and go, but none of them seemed to have that one thing that made them stick out from the rest. If so, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey from branding strategy firm KegWorks Consulting, more than half of all small businesses don’t know what their unique selling proposition is (or why it’s so important). 

Unfortunately, this can also be true for many other businesses as well. But there is hope! There are plenty of things that even the smallest of businesses can do to start branding their company in such a way that will make it easier for customers to remember and Google them in the future. Whether you run your own small business or work with one in your community, these strategies can help make it easier for potential clients and investors to find you, grow your company, and scale operations over time. Here are nine ways growing any size business with branding strategies can help grow your company faster.

Develop a brand identity

For many small businesses, the first step to branding comes with a logo or some other visual representation of their company. But here’s what most people don’t realize: a brand’s identity is more than just a logo. In fact, the logo is something that should only make up a very small part of your overall branding strategy. The best way to think of brand identity is like a person’s personality. It’s the way your brand comes together to make it memorable, memorable, and memorable. And to get there, you have to start with the logo. But what comes next is the way you dress, the tone of your voice, and the way you interact with your audience. Because at the end of the day, what matters most to customers is that you’re a real person behind the company, not just a logo.

Show, don’t just tell

Part of what makes a logo so memorable is that it draws on aspects of your brand identity to create a visual representation of what your company does. And while logos can be a great way to get attention from potential customers (and potential investors), they’re actually not that helpful for building brand recognition and loyalty in the long term. That is why it’s also important for your branding strategy to also include how your company is represented to your customers in other ways. That includes through your company’s website, social media profiles, written communications, signage and more. Although people will mostly remember what your logo is, they’re more likely to keep coming back to a business if they see them on a regular basis. So make sure you’re spending time and energy on all of these other marketing strategies that help build your brand identity.

Educate your audience

For many businesses, a key ingredient in their branding strategy comes down to educating your audience. This can mean using your logo and branding to educate your customers about what your company does and how it can help them in their problem-solving. It can also include educating customers about your company’s values and what makes your brand different from the competition. Even if your product or service is simple and doesn’t have many potential customers, educating your target market can help build brand loyalty in the long term. That’s because people tend to remember things that serve a purpose for them. So if you have a small business serving the local community, you might not have a huge potential customer pool from which to draw. But educating your customers about who you are and what you do could help them remember your brand in the future.

Keep a blog up to date

While no one ever said that branding strategies have to be fun, interesting or even interesting, it’s important to keep your company’s blog updated with new content. That’s because it’s one of the best ways to build brand awareness and activate your brand identity with your customers. That’s because when people see your company in a blog post or on social media, they’ll most likely notice the logo and brand name. And while you don’t want to overuse it, this logo is a great place to include your brand values and show your personality. This is also a great place to include your insights from your customers and their problems that your product or service can help solve. Keep your blog up to date, and you’ll be helping to build your company’s brand identity.

Use social media to grow your brand awareness

The easiest way for any business to grow their brand awareness and brand identity is to use social media to promote themselves and connect with potential customers. Whether you have a single social media account or multiple profiles, you should be using these platforms to connect with your target audience. That means creating content that’s relevant to your audience and highlighting your brand identity and logo. By using social media to promote yourself and your brand, you’ll be helping to build brand awareness and grow brand identity. That means that customers are better able to see what you do, remember your brand, and decide whether they want to work with you in the future. Social media is also a great way to start building relationships with potential customers, partners, and investors.

Always be testing new things

For any business, it’s important to always be testing new strategies and seeing what works best for your audience. That’s because your customers are always changing, and what worked for them today may not work tomorrow. That’s why it’s important for any business to always be testing new strategies. Whether it’s a new advertising campaign or a new way to promote your brand, you should always be trying new things to see what works and what doesn’t. By testing new strategies and seeing what works best for your company, you’ll be helping to build your brand identity and grow your brand awareness. That means customers will be better able to see what your company does, remember your logo, and decide whether they want to work with you in the future.

Don’t be afraid to use influencers or partnerships

For many businesses, growing brand awareness comes down to using social media and other marketing strategies to build brand awareness and brand identity. And while you should be using all of these strategies in your brand-building efforts, you should also be looking for ways to make each one more memorable. One of the easiest ways to do this is to also look for ways to add a unique twist to each one of these strategies to make them more memorable. For example, you can use your logo and brand to inspire blog posts and social media posts that show your brand values and personality. But you can also use these same strategies to make those posts more memorable by adding an influencer or partnership to the mix. That way, you can use your logo and brand to inspire the posts and help build brand awareness in a unique way.

How To Implement It

While all these options are proven and will help small businesses drive growth in the medium term, they are all to be used at the same time to derive significant benefits. With the human resource constraints that most small businesses face, it is not always possible to devote time to social media and engagement. Thus, it is advisable to outsource the job to a professional branding agency. 

However, one has to be careful before selecting an agency as there are many who have little to no actual experience in branding. Engaging an agency like that could end up in a public relations disaster instead of growth. At MyStory, we’ve invested years in developing dedicated human resources and tools required for efficient and diligent branding. Check out our branding program here.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are plenty of things that even the smallest of businesses can do to start branding their company in such a way that will make it easier for customers to remember and Google them in the future. Whether you run your own small business or work with one in your community, these strategies can help make it easier for potential clients and investors to find you, grow your company and scale operations over time. Whether you’re looking for brand strategies for growing your company or looking for ways to improve your brand, these tips can help you get started on the right foot.