Does my small business need a brand?

If you are starting a small business, you may be wondering: Does my small business really need a brand? The short answer is yes, it does!

Customer habits have changed. While in the past, providing a quality product or service and running a few ads was enough to attract customers, today’s consumers are increasingly concerned with what your brand stands for, how professional it looks, and whether it has an active presence.

Strategically crafting your brand may sound daunting, (especially when your business has been around for a while ) here are 3 main reasons why it’s worth it.

1. You’ll Adapt to Customer Habits

Customer buying habits are becoming more brand-driven. This means that rather than only evaluating the product they need, they also evaluate the brand they are buying it from. Before they buy a product, customers look at a brand’s story and values. They are interested in finding out what motivated you to launch your small business brand, whether they can relate to you and whether their values align with yours. They expect a brand to have a unique set of beliefs, and a deeper meaning than “I woke up and decided to start a business…” They are looking for a consistent communication style and for a creative, on-brand visual identity. In other words, your customers are looking for the identity behind your product or service and they expect it to be well defined and easy to understand. You simply will not win without a brand, as customers will not remember your company as they continue their search for a product or service.

2. You’ll Create Consistency

Building your small business brand will mean defining the ethos, purpose, core message, voice, tone, visual style, and communication guidelines for your business. A well-defined brand enables you to show up consistently in the marketplace and helps you direct your customer’s impression and experience instead of leaving it to chance. Consistency in your presentation is key to marketing effectively, as you will not only have more control over your communication, but you will also be able to stand out amongst the crowd of new business. The more consistent you are, the more recognizable you are, and the least likely you are to get lost in the sea of other brands.

3. You’ll Gain Customers’ Trust

As you define and build your brand, you will also expand your presence and communicate with your customers more. Customers now expect brands to have a strong social media presence. Without one, customers won’t know if they can trust your business or not. With a consistent message, look and feel, paired with more content, customers can see and trust your business and have confidence in your product or service.

So yes, your small business does need a brand, no matter what type of business you are running, no matter your size, no matter your location. A brand is a critical component of your overall business strategy. Adaptability, consistency, and trustworthiness are all needed to succeed in today’s marketplace. When you craft and build your brand intentionally, you will reap all three of these benefits. To learn more about how to build your brand, take a look at my blog “Why you need a customer-driven brand strategy” where I not only answer that question but walk you through how to do so!