Branding is all about defining your presence within your particular industry. Any business, large or small, can create a successful brand, and budget is not the greatest concern. As you think about your brand, consider these six tips from RESH Global designed to help keep you in line with branding best practices.

1. Define Your Brand

Your brand encompasses the products and services you provide and the target audience you serve. To define it, come up with some core words that explain your small business. Create a mission statement and establish what you bring to the marketplace. Research your target demographic. What is the average age range and socio-economic status? Why would they need your product or service? Start with questions such as these.

2. Create an Online Presence

Your website shows the world who you are and what you offer. Modern companies often generate the majority of their profits through eCommerce. Therefore, this is where you want to direct a large part of your investment. Hire a professional web developer to help you communicate your brand. If you have design ideas, convert the JPGs into PDFs and compress them into one file to make it easier to send via email.

Also, don’t forget to advertise via social media! Use high quality pictures to promote your business. If the photos are too large, you can use this free tool to resize image for Instagram. Best of all, because social media is free as well, this is a great way to reach potential customers without draining your budget.

3. Know Your Competition

The point of branding is to make yourself stand out. Before you start building your website and creating logo designs, take the time to know your competitors' strategies. You don't want to look like anyone else. That way customers can easily distinguish you from every other business.

Consider sharpening your skills and developing your business acumen by earning a business degree. There are several online programs that allow you to earn a degree while working. Be sure to research each school to make sure it is accredited and offers competitive tuition rates.

4. Avoid Complacency

Building your company brand should always be an ongoing process. Know when to change your strategy. Before your profits start to decline, look for early signs that your marketing and branding strategies are no longer working. Protect yourself from the dangers that come with change by using several different marketing strategies simultaneously and conducting a detailed analysis on your efforts regularly.

5. Put Your Customers First

The customer experience is the driving force in your small business's success. Providing a great product or service is only half of what creates a great experience. A reputation for excellent customer service establishes trust and creates brand loyalty. Encourage people to leave reviews and actively follow up on them. Build a strong community presence and use feedback to guide your campaigns. Think about investing in customer relationship management software to consolidate your marketing efforts, B2C interactions, and customer feedback under one centralized program.

6. Establish a Visual Identity

All companies need a visual to identify them within the marketplace. If you don't have experience in graphic design, you can go the less expensive route and search for an online logo generator, or you can hire a professional graphic designer to provide you with more original options.

As you work through these best practices, remember that creating a brand has no definitive timeframe. Rely on professionals for any aspect that is beyond your understanding and create a budget to help you prioritize your efforts. Don't be afraid to make the investments necessary to start building your brand today.

RESH Global has developed a globalized understanding of organizations and key enablers for business growth. Call today for a consultation: 1-317-537-7436.

Photo via Pexels