Do You Need To Brand Your Business?

Many small business owners consider branding something for big business. When we think of branding, the golden arches, the Nike swish, or the rainbow letters of Google. However, branding isn’t just for the Fortune 500. It’s just different.

Branding, whether you are a large corporation or a one person business, is a process. It’d be great if we could pick a logo, choose a business name, and be done with it. However, those little things like a logo and a mission statement are only a very small part of the big branding picture.

Where to begin.

A brand for a small business begins and ends with the business owner. Your personality is the number one tool in your business branding toolkit. Your personality is what customers are buying in to when they do business with you. Your personality is what helps your prospect decide to do business. It is often what motivates them to visit your site. Big business use personality too, they just use it differently. Think about Aunt Jemima, Ronald McDonald, or even Martha Stewart, they’re personalities, whether they’re real or fake, are their brand.

Your personality can be communicated with

• Article marketing and publications. Your voice comes through in your content.
• Audio recordings. Assuming you’re the person speaking on the audio, your personality will translate via your voice communications.
• Video. Tutorials and video blogs are a great way for your customers and prospects to get to know you.
• Pictures. Sometimes it is as simple as posting a picture of yourself on your website or on your about page. A face gives people something to identify with much more than graphics and logos.