3 Inexpensive Branding Strategies You Can Implement RIGHT NOW
So … What Is Branding Anyway?
In simple terms, “branding” is your promise to your customer. More than a striking logo and flashy website, it embodies what they can expect from your business, and separates you from your competition.
Your logo, website, packaging, marketing materials, even your social media posts, are all part of your brand strategy. And it’s important to make sure all of these elements are working together to convey your expertise, value and standards.
1. Start with a Solid Foundation
We live in a very brand-aware world, and that first impression might be the only opportunity you get. If your branding doesn’t immediately convey desirable attributes, like: trustworthiness, professionalism, value, credibility, etc., prospects will simply move on to another provider.
Trying to tackle branding (and everything that goes along with it) yourself could be offering a false sense of “savings.”
Is that really where your time is best spent? … How steep is the learning curve to design your own logo? … Do you even know if it’s going to send the right message?
Choosing to invest in professional branding — right from the get-go — is often more valuable than the product or service you provide, and will offer you the best shot at a positive return on your marketing investment.
And there are ways to do it affordably, focusing on essential pieces first and designing a long-term strategy to grow with your business.
2. Nurture Your Current Customers
Business relationships, just like any other relationships, are built on trust and experience. And these two factors alone drive most buying decisions.
If your brand strategy doesn’t focus on relationship building and offering a stellar customer experience, then there’s a dozen similar providers waiting to replace you.
How often do you reach out to current clients/customers to strengthen those relationships? And I’m not just talking about sending ads and offers, but really understanding their needs and problems.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and find out what they struggle with. What keeps them up at night? … What critical problem(s) can you solve for them right now?
Once you have a list of pain points, start to work on content that addresses those specific challenges. And don’t sell your product with this content — simply share and educate. Build that foundation and trust by being the lifeline they need.
3. Focus on Authenticity
Implicit trust is hard to come by these days.
Consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical, and for good reason. They’ve been burned across the board — by government, bad business experiences, the media, etc. I’m sure you share that same skepticism when evaluating new relationships.
That’s why authenticity is so critical to your brand strategy. Be true to who you are … what you do … and who you serve.
The great news is that there are immediate, inexpensive steps you can take right now to make your brand more authentic.
BE GENUINE — What are your core values? … Why do you do what you do? It sounds simple, but it’s something a lot of businesses overlook. Share your passion and your mission and use those ideals as the driving force behind everything your company does, and every interaction you have with customers and prospects.
BE CONSISTENT — Mixed messages breed mistrust. You can’t be one thing on your website, but something totally different on Facebook. Make sure all of your outreach efforts are in perfect alignment so there’s no confusion. And make sure your employees understand this too — that they are being great stewards of your brand, even when they’re off the clock.
BE AVAILABLE — How many awesome customer service experiences have you had lately? Probably not too many. Automation is a wonderful thing, but it’s also made us exceptionally lazy. You can quickly build trust and authenticity, and vault ahead of your competition, just by making yourself available to your customers. Have a real human answer the phone. Call people back. Respond to emails. These simple efforts go a LONG way.
Start implementing these 3 branding strategies right now and see the quick impact it can have on your business!