Do you dream of having a startup? Or maybe you’ve already set your business in motion, and it’s time to take it to the next level?
Then it’s also time to talk about designing your brand.
In terms of running a successful small business, branding is just as important as your actual content, products, and services. After all, you could be the best at what you do, but without an effective brand, no one would ever know!
Let’s take a look at brand strategies to digitize your small business.
Create A Website
A website is one of those no-brainer branding items that you need if you have a startup or small business. It’s probably the first thing you would think of to create.
But branding requires more than just having your website or domain name.
Your website is the flagship of your small business. It needs to be effective and user friendly, allowing your customers to get access to information and products.
But it also needs to be attractive, aesthetically pleasing, and engaging.
This can be achieved in a number of ways.
- The look: Even small businesses should have a style manual. This will include your color palettes, font options, graphics, and the general overall style and tone. Whether you are retail business or florist requiring a logo, you still need a style guide. It should be followed throughout the website, and across other marketing and promotional materials, to create a harmonious personality.
- The content: Each piece of content on your site should contribute to the brand. The tone in which it is written, the accuracy of the statements made, and the professionalism of the proofreading are all part of your brand.
- The engagement: Company websites are perfect for creating more points of contact with customers and clients. Invite engagement with forums, FAQs, contact info, and e-mail requests.
Start a Blog
Blogs are, statistically speaking, one of the best things that you can do for your business.
Marketers that use blogs actually get 67% more leads for their business than those that don’t.
Blogs are constantly growing in popularity because they work. A business with a blog attached to the website:
- Has more opportunities to create searchable content
- Can use more SEO keywords, including long tail keywords that are harder to fit into content on the website itself
- Creates opportunities to engage with the audience
- Will be linked to more often
- Supports its brand with continuous content
In a nutshell, if you want a successful small business, blogging should be a chief concern right after creating your website.
Use Social Media
Social media platforms are by no means underutilized by companies. But that doesn’t mean that you should shy away from them just because of the potential for competition.
It’s true that over 88% of all companies market via social media.
But it’s also true that they do this for two reasons:
- It’s effective
- They can reach both new audiences and established customers
Seven out of ten people in the US have at least one social media profile. That’s an enormous audience that can be best reached by creating a social media profile for your business.
Your social media accounts are a great way to further promote your brand, sticking to the same style, personality, and tone. Keeping it coherent and focused across all points of customer interaction add to your brand as a whole, allowing your small business its best chance to grow.
Author Bio
Alicia Rother is a freelance content strategist who works with small businesses and startups to boost their brand reach through creative content design and write-ups. Her area of expertise include digital marketing, infographics, branding, and SEO. For service inquiries you can connect with her here.
