Small-to-midsized businesses who want to better communicate and connect with customers need to take the time to understand who they are on the inside.
Businesses spend a lot of time and money on how they appear to the outside world but how many take the time to really understand who they are? I think for many business owners, marketing–and more specifically, branding–seem like a nebulous world of buzzwords and technical jargon. If you own a small-to-midsized business, you need to know how to effectively attract more customers and build trust with them.
The fact is, people ultimately choose to do business with people they know, like, trust and value.
Think about why you connect with some people almost immediately and not with others. Do you think it’s because you share similar values, because you are like them? You make these connections with others through conversation and engagement. This is how you find your tribe and connect with like-minded souls.
Establishing what your brand stands for will help you elevate your marketing by communicating those values to your customers in your marketing.
A brand is not a logo, a slogan or even an advertising campaign. A marketing initiative doesn’t equate to a branding initiative; they are distinctly different but with some overlap. A logo is a small piece of your marketing puzzle. In order to begin the process of tuning inward, you must be honestly objective as you begin to explore these questions:
- Who are my customers?
- What customers do I want to have?
- Who are my competitors?
- What is my competitors’ brand position?
- What problem does my business solve?
- What is my Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?
- What feelings and associations do my customers have about my business? Which ones do I want them to have?
- What functional and emotional benefits do I deliver to our customers?
- What is my brand’s personality?
While many businesses avoid the process, small-to-midsize business marketers who choose to take the deep dive into their own brand to do some much-needed soul searching will be the ones to execute successful marketing campaigns and expand brand awareness. When you know who you are, you are better able to communicate on a more authentic level and connect with people who get you.
When you answer these questions, you’ll have the basic building blocks of your brand strategy. Developing your brand is a fundamental part of good business and done right, it will help you develop stronger relationships with your customers and create effective, cost-efficient marketing campaigns.
