Is Branding Relevant to Small & Medium Business?

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Most small to medium business owners would agree that developing a stand-out brand & identity is a essential part of the marketing package for large corporations and companies.

Many would add that branding is not that important for smallish businesses and see it as an additional expense on the Profit & Loss. So they head off to the local printer or graphic designer who designs a logo (sometimes even for free) that gets used on stationary, vehicles and other marketing materials.

The old story you get what you pay for is true and I see this every day when clients come back to us and say,hey we paid fifteen hundred bucks for our website to be designed and we are not happy.

I say well that’s why you are here. It’s crap and if you want your potential customers to think your services are crap, then carry on down the cheapskate road.

From our experience in this field, we find that most logos designed for small businesses are simply graphic devices and not actually brands in the true sense of the word, and portray little about the value proposition of the company, its personality and service promise.

In actual fact, development of a meaningful, representative and outstanding brand identity is just as critical for small businesses and if properly executed, can actually be a powerful competitive advantage.

For companies, an effective and powerful brand is a ‘must-have’, simply in order to be in the game.

It may not necessarily differentiate them but it does at least give them parity with their competitors.

Unfortunately, some companies still don’t understand the value of a great brand and have cruddy logos that are, in short, embarrassing and doing nothing for their businesses.

But there is significant value to the small business that has the vision and commitment to invest in having a professional marketing agency develop a meaningful and appropriate brand identity.

A brand identity is more than just a visual symbol or logo design – it defines your company’s unique service promise, builds lasting brand recognition and invokes positive recall.

A strong brand enhances your company’s credibility by integrating your brand strategy with consistent graphic application across all market and customer contact points.

Think about this – if most small businesses have weak branding, then by developing a compelling and effective branding package you can position your company ahead of your competitors in the mind of your target market.

A strong and effective brand can definitely be a competitive advantage in the cut throat world of business.

To develop a strong brand identity, your marketing agency needs to work closely with you to understand the needs of your customers and prospects.

They need to explore suitable graphic elements and branding metaphors for the logo device, develop appropriate colour palettes and provide guidance on how to effectively apply your branding and logo design in specific applications.

Your goal should be to ensure complete brand integrity. If the brand development process is executed correctly then your company will stand out from the mass of small businesses that simply couldn’t be bothered, or more likely, don’t know any better.

Professionally designed brands, usually most visibly represented by the logo device, tell the market a visual story about your company.

“You’ve heard the branding gurus’ mantra,” says Jane Schulte, author of Work Smart, Not Hard! “Brand or be branded. Well, it’s true. If you don’t go about the process of creating a personality for your company, one will be created for you.” She outlines this process for ensuring your brand doesn’t happen by accident:

  • Start with two lists. One should contain words that describe your company’s current personality; the second should describe the company you want to be. They might be similar lists; in this case, they’ll help you to focus on consistency as you grow. If they differ, you can make a conscious, concerted effort to move toward the brand you envision.
  • Determine what your company looks like. From Web site design and taglines to colors and logos, make choices that work together to build your brand.
  • Reinforce the brand throughout your organization. “It cannot be an act,” says Schulte. “You have to make sure, just like your mission statement, that you can easily carry [it] off in everything you do, from marketing [to] advertising, client service and employee relations.” And give your team the resources they need to make this happen—otherwise, they’ll devise ad hoc solutions that might send the wrong message about your brand.

The Point: “Any time someone comes into contact with your company, whether … through written materials or personal communication,” reports author Jane Schulte, “its intended personality [should come] through every single time.”

It speaks of attention to detail, professionalism, pride and investment in your company, presents your unique value proposition and helps you to stand out above your mediocre competitors.

You can find out more about logo design and branding http://www.twmg.com.au/what-we-do/customer-engagement/brand-strategy

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