Building a strong brand is an important step for any business, big or small, looking to make a mark in the market. A robust brand makes a company stand out, builds customer loyalty, and establishes a foundation of trust—key elements that contribute to sustained success.
Recent statistics underscore this reality, revealing that consistent brand presentation across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%. Additionally, another study by Nielsen shows that 59% of consumers prefer to buy new products from brands that are familiar to them.
That’s why this article answers the burning question of how to build a brand for a small business in seven simple steps.
Step 1: Define Your Brand
The first step involves a deep understanding of what your brand stands for—its mission, vision, and core values.
The mission should resonate with your team and your customers, providing a clear purpose that sets the tone for all your business activities. So, a brand mission might be “to make healthy eating accessible and enjoyable for everyone,” which immediately suggests an inclusive, positive approach to food.
Next, your vision statement should describe your brand’s future vision. For example, a vision might be “to become the leading provider of innovative plant-based meals in the country.”
Core values include integrity, creativity, sustainability, and customer-centricity. These values should reflect what is important to your brand and how you want it to be perceived. They are the foundation upon which you build trust with your customers.
Step 2: Find Your Target Audience
Knowing your audience influences every aspect of your branding, from the design of your logo to the tone of your communications. The thing is, once you understand your potential customers, you can tailor your marketing efforts to meet their specific needs and preferences.
Start with market research to gather data about your potential customers. This can be achieved through several methods, such as surveys and feedback, social media platforms, or competitor analysis.
Once you’ve collected data, synthesize it into buyer personas—detailed profiles of fictional characters who represent your ideal customers. Each persona should include:
- Demographic information: Age, gender, education, and income level
- Psychographics: Interests, values, and lifestyle choices
- Behavioral traits: Buying habits, brand loyalty, and product preferences
For example, if you are a sustainable clothing brand, one of your personas might be “Eco-friendly Emma,” a mid-30s professional who values sustainability and prefers to buy from brands that are transparent about their supply chain.
Step 3: Develop Your Brand’s Visual Identity
A compelling visual identity helps make a lasting impression on your audience. Consistency in your visual style—including your logo, color scheme, and typography—helps build recognition and boosts the perception of professionalism and reliability.
Choose visuals that reflect the personality and values of your brand. Consider the following:
- Logo: Your logo should be simple yet memorable, scalable to different sizes without losing clarity, and visually appealing in both color and black and white.
- Color scheme: Colors evoke emotions and convey messages. Choose colors that align with the emotional impact you want your brand to have. For example, blue conveys trust and dependability, while green is associated with health and sustainability.
- Typography: Your typefaces should be legible and reflect your brand’s character. So, a tech company might opt for a sleek, modern font, while a traditional bakery might choose a more whimsical or hand-drawn style.
Airbnb
Airbnb’s logo, known as the “Bélo,” embodies a sense of belonging central to the brand’s mission. It’s simple, recognizable, versatile, and easily adaptable across various media.
The logo’s curvature and the choice of a warm, inviting color palette reflect hospitality and connection, key traits of the Airbnb experience.
Step 4: Create Your Brand Message and Voice
Your brand message should sum up what you offer, why it matters, and how it differentiates from your competitors. It should connect on an emotional level with your audience, addressing their needs and aspirations.
Your brand voice is the personality and emotion infused into your company’s communications. It should be consistent across all content to strengthen your brand’s identity and help it stand out in a crowded market.
Here’s how to develop it:
- Ensure your brand voice is consistent in all forms of communication.
- The voice should reflect your brand’s core values.
- Be authentic, as it helps build trust.
Effective Brand Messaging
The two notable examples of effective brand messaging are:
- Nike
Nike’s brand message, “Just Do It,” is simple yet powerful. It encourages people to push beyond their limits.
Their communications consistently use motivational language that appeals to athletes and people who aspire to lead active lifestyles, which reflects the brand as inspirational and action-oriented.
- Apple
Apple’s brand message focuses on innovation, quality, and design.
Their communication consistently emphasizes simplicity, sleek design, and user-friendly technology, effectively conveying their message that “technology should be easy to use and accessible to everyone.”
Step 5: Build Your Online Presence
A robust online presence ensures your brand reaches a broad audience, engages with potential customers, and remains competitive. And a website and social media play the biggest roles here.
A website is often the first point of contact between your brand and potential customers. Its design, content, and usability should reflect your brand identity. Similarly, social media platforms extend your reach and allow direct communication with your audience.
But it’s not enough to be present on these platforms. The content you create and post needs to be valuable and relevant to your audience’s interests and needs. This could be through informative blog posts, videos, or social media posts.
Also, make sure to encourage interaction through comments, shares, and likes. Engage with your audience by responding to their inquiries and comments promptly and thoughtfully.
Step 6: Foster Brand Loyalty
Loyal customers provide consistent revenue and can become vocal advocates for your brand, spreading its message within their networks. To foster this loyalty, take a look at the following strategies.
First, personalization is key. If you use data to tailor experiences and communications to individual customer preferences and histories, you show that you clearly understand and appreciate their specific needs.
Implementing loyalty or rewards programs also encourages ongoing engagement. These programs might offer exclusive deals, early product access, or special discounts. This makes customers more likely to return.
Finally, regular feedback collection through surveys, social media, and direct interactions helps you gauge customer needs and areas for improvement.
Showcasing positive testimonials on your platforms boosts credibility while responding constructively to all feedback demonstrates that you value customer input and are committed to continuous improvement.
Step 7: Monitor and Adapt Your Brand Strategy
Simply creating a brand strategy is not enough for enduring success. You’ll need to constantly monitor and adapt to ensure your brand stays relevant and attuned to evolving customer preferences and changes in the business environment.
Here is how to keep your strategy current and impactful:
- Employ analytics tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to measure your brand’s performance.
- Collect customer feedback regularly through surveys, user testing, and direct interactions.
- Adapting to shifts in the environment requires a flexible approach to strategy refinement.
- Fostering a culture of learning and innovation within your organization ensures that your brand does not just react to changes but leads by example.
Conclusion
The seven steps we’ve outlined provide a framework to guide you through creating and nurturing a brand that resonates deeply with your target audience. But as you implement them, keep in mind that brand building is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process.
It requires persistence, consistency, and a willingness to adapt to new insights and market dynamics. Ultimately, the goal is to create a brand that not only stands out but also stands the test of time, evolving with your customers and continuing to engage them in meaningful ways.