HOW TO BUILD BRAND ON A SMALL BUDGET

We see the campaigns for large, powerful brands every day and seemingly everywhere. From Nike to Mercedes Benz, Bud Light to Target, the slick campaigns cost into the multi-millions.

Doing effective brand marketing can feel out of reach to the small business operating on a limited budget. It may seem like an impossibly expensive pursuit to the small entrepreneur.

For small businesses, direct marketing that leads to sales needs to take the fore. You need to develop leads and turn those leads into sales. So the emphasis should be on direct marketing: email, search engine marketing, social media and content creation, etc. These will command the lion’s share of the budget.

But building a positive identity and awareness of how your business is different is important, as well. Raising brand recognition develops greater receptivity to buying from you and builds your value proposition.

BRANDING ON A BUDGET

The good news is that you don’t have to be a Fortune 500 company to create an effective branding strategy. Here are some useful tips for building brand on a budget:

Craft an Outstanding Logo

Designing a powerful logo is a significant first piece to crafting a strong and recognizable brand identity. A strong logo can an instant positive impression of your business.

Crafting a memorable logo requires a graphic designer who understands your business and your market. Or, if you choose, you can design your own logo by using a site like canva.com.

Create a Winning Signature Theme

Just Do It! A winning signature theme with a powerful logo-–like Nike—can work in tandem to create a brain worm in the mind of the market.

If you can identify a succinct theme/slogan that works with your logo to carve out your special value proposition, you may have a winner!  

Develop a Targeted & Consistent Social Media Presence

Having a strong social media presence is, of course, a must in our digital information age. There are three key qualities for success:

Target Content to Your Market—Create content that your market cares about and gains their attention. It should give your target market a strong sense of your brand: a video, a photo, an infographic or a blog that leave a positive impression of your business.

Understand the Persona of Your Customers—It’s necessary to have a clear picture of who your market is, their needs and interests. Then, your content needs to be tailored to their needs as being fulfilled by your products or services. Finally, choose the social media platforms that best reach that market.

Post Consistently--One of the biggest problems with social media is not posting frequently enough. Be sure you post your content frequently—perhaps weekly—to establish an audience and develop anticipation for your information.

Email Marketing

Just as email can be a great tool for developing business leads and sales, it’s also a good, inexpensive vehicle for building brand. You’re able to send targeted information to enhance your value proposition or make frequent updates, content or blogs to uniquely position your business.

Collaborate & Network

Seeking like partners to potentially co-brand your businesses with one another can often strengthen the identity of both brands. For example, perhaps a good coffee shop partnering with a well-known bakery to the benefit of both is a good tactic. You just need to find the right partner

Of course, networking with other professionals in your field is always a great tool to have in your belt. You can share knowledge and build reputation that can spread throughout the network.

Seek Speaking Opportunities in Your Industry

If you’re an expert in your field, or in your business area, targeted public speaking opportunities can build your reputation by sharing your knowledge.

A good place to start looking for these opportunities is at local colleges, public organizations or industry groups.

SMALL DOESN’T MEAN BEING UNKNOWN

By using a smart and targeted branding strategy, you can raise the profile of your business without spending a fortune. Using a brand development plan before or simultaneous with a lead generation program will help your sales efforts become more effective.

C. Rick Jourdan

President, Jourdan Marketing Consultants

Read my Middle Brain Marketing blog about marketing topics relevant to a variety of industries.