Branding for small businesses

Branding is the personality of your business. And the purpose of branding is directed at how you want people to feel when they encounter your brand. You want to touch their emotion with your brand. Think of big name brands like KFC and McDonalds, the mere mention of this brand will invoke the feeling that you trust the food and service will be a certain way, everywhere you go. When you think of AirAsia, you trust that the price is amongst the lowest you can get. And you want your prospects to feel a certain way about your business whenever they encounter your brand, your personality.

Most small business try to be everything for everyone. Money may be a goal then so these small businesses try to do anything everybody wants, a multiple businesses of sort. Jack of all trades yet master of none. IT is of course a necessity for start-ups as they search for identity and a profitable business model. However, they must remember that the brand/value of the businesses must be something in common, especially for the entrepreneur who is representing all different businesses. Small business owners who has  a multi personality must know how to carry the right personalty at the right time, otherwise it will be very confusing to your prospects. Imagine wearing a suit with sneakers on and a clown tie and hat. You might want to convey the message that you are professional, sporty and funny but doing it all at the same time just makes it weird.

But branding is also a whole package. You can arrive at a date wearing Armani Suit, but if you had not taken a shower and your armpit’s emitting near-toxic odor, you are not going to nail the date.  Everything must deliver the same message, the same value. It has to jive.

Branding is a promise of what you are about, it is a promise to your client about what they will feel when they deal with you. What your brand is up to you to decide. It must be something that really matters to both the prospect and you. Some examples: ‘health’, ‘low-cost’, ‘value’, ‘integrity’ and ‘quality’.

It is vital for you or your company to be genuinely passionate about you’re the value that you carry in your brand. If you are not passionate, your prospects can see right through it and would pass you off as a fraud.

Next comes the cost of branding. Branding does not have to be expensive, really. It is not all about billboard advertisements, expensive design agents and TV commercials. For a small or medium sized enterprise, your branding exercise must not be expensive but instead it should be creative. So, how do you do branding when you are a small or medium sixed enterprise?

Remember, you brand is your personality and it must appear in all these basic elements first even before you start dreaming of designing the first advertisement. The elements are:

1. You and your employees. Yes, this include right down to the receptionist and tea lady. They must carry your values, your brand. Especially you, yes you the owner, your individual personalty is your brand. So take notice of how you are carrying your brand. Selling health products means you exercise everyday too, not appearing in meetings in tight yoga pants and a sweater, especially not if you have less than a model-like shape.
2. Business card. Very simple but the first formal contact some people might have with you. Do not cramp it with too much information. Be creative, be simple. Invite people to ask more about your business. Hint - ask your employees and other people about how your business card really look like, especially if you are designing them yourself. And don't be afraid to copy the IDEA and FEEL of a well-designed business card (don't simply copy the design, it may be copyrighted). 
3. Website or Facebook Page. My dad always say, the louder you are the more people will know whether you are good or bad. The Internet is like a megaphone, a huge megaphone that would make your 'voice' of personality globally. For a business person, especially entrepreneurs, being on a social media requires creates huge visibility of your personality, and going by item 1 above, your brand. All your fancy fliers, million dollar websites will be worth nothing, for nought, if you were callous, rude, whiny, childish, emotional, self-centered, problematic (we all are too familiar about people facebooking thier problems, right?) and cynical in your 'status updates' , comments etc. You prospective customers would not correct your improper behaviour on the social network, they will simply will NOT BUY anything from you.
4. Email Signature. Always has an email signatures that request for referrals.
5. Stationery. Invest a little bit to make your stationery looks nice and well designed. With the word processors nowadays, you can preset them in your computer for FREE and only pay when you print. 
6. Packaging. If are in the business of selling goods, invest a little but in making the packaging looks nice, with a small sticker with your logo and address. Keeping it simple is good.
7. Brochures / Flyers. Create your fliers and email them. Print in black and white but design something that would suit a black and white concept. Don't simply photocopy a colour poster in black and white.
8. Newsletters. People hate spam but love receiving letters. Write newsletter but try to keep the selling at a minimum. Make it more letter than flier.

Work Smart Everyone.


P/s: Please don't forget to register here for a chance to get FREE highlight of your website, blog or facebook page of your product on this blogsite. You will enjoy free publicity and invite more traffic to your site. You can also register on the console on the right panel of this blogsite.


The Author is the principal of ElixirEducate - a training house for Smart Entrepreneur Program Series. He was an international investment banker, corporate financier and a business coach where he coaches entrepreneurs on building and growing their businesses. You can find more information on ElixirEducate on their facebook page, here.  And be a facebook friend  of Yazdi . Please share this information with your entrepreneur friend who may benefit from this post. They could be an existing entrepreneur or someone who plans to start a business.  You can also join the growing business network of Entrepreneurs in Malaysia by joining this group. Thank you and have a meaningful day.