If you’re a small business owner, spending time building your company brand may not be at the top of your priority list. In reality, though, businesses of every size need to think about how they can brand themselves to gain an edge in today’s competitive market.

Brand Building Tips

1. Determine Your Voice

The first step in creating your brand is selecting your voice. Think about who you are as a company and what you are known for. If you were meeting someone for the first time, how would you describe what your organization does?

If you already have a mission statement and core values, you’re off to a good start. If not, it may take a little more thought, but it’s well worth the effort. Your approach – and how you “sound” – play an important role in your branding.

You want to be able to develop a tone and message that will help create a connection with your prospects and customers, while also helping differentiate you in your local market and business space.

2. Add Some Visual Flair

If you are just starting your business, and you don’t already have a name and logo, you may want to engage help in selecting one or both. You can talk with friends or other small business owners about their recommendations or look online for a naming or logo design resource.

A good name and visual identity are important to creating a strong brand. Think about the logos of the organizations you know, locally, regionally, and nationally. Some organizations, like McDonalds or Nike, can be identified by a logo alone.

3. Go Your Own Way

You may be tempted to borrow from what you think is working for a competitor, or a large, regional or national brand. Don’t do it. Think about what makes your organization different, and why a prospect should choose your company over another. Your independence may be a differentiator that helps you attract and retain customers.

4. Consistency Is Key

Some businesses – large and small – make a mistake in branding and use a different approach depending on who they are communicating with and what vehicle they’re using (say, for example, an ad versus social media). That can undermine your efforts, because your prospects and customers can be confused by your mixed messages. It’s more effective to be consistent in your approach. Familiarity is important, and it can help you build trust.

5. Deliver on Your Promise

You can create long-term relationships with your prospects – and turn more of them into customers – by delivering on your promises. Be clear about what you do, and what your customers can expect from you. Then make sure you work to follow through. You can earn their trust and generate positive word of mouth. Customer service is vital.

It can be helpful to learn from others’ brand-building missteps. Click here to read Five Branding Mistakes That Could Put Your Small Business Out of Business, published by Crowdspring, or check out this article, You May Be a Small Business, But You Can Still Focus on Building a Big Brand Image!, from Espresso.