7 reasons that you need a strong brand (no matter how small you are)
As a small business owner, you might not think that establishing professional and sophisticated branding is necessary until you become a little “bigger.” The truth is, in order to grow, be recognized and become more known, branding is essential and one of the most important investments that you can make in your business. It can take your business from “blah” to “ahh!” and I’ve outlined just a few reasons why, in today’s mini blog post:
1. You will be taken seriously.
If you look consistent and legitimate, then you will look more professional. And, the more professional that you look, the more that people will view you as an expert, like you, trust you and hire you. Plain and simple.
2. You will be memorable.
The more that you show up consistently, the more that your potential clients will start to recognize you — over and over again. People like familiarity and to be connected to something that they feel they’ve known forever. Which leads me to #3.
3. You will be trusted.
You’ve probably heard business coaches and thought leaders mention the “know, like, trust” factor. Well, it’s definitely a very real thing. When it comes to potential customers, they first have to get to know you. Once they know you and see what you’re about/represent, they begin to truly like you. Finally, once they like you, the more likely they are to trust you. And once you have that trust, you have the start of a beautiful business relationship — and they will most likely end up hiring you.
4. Your mission and vision will be stronger.
I always say that even before design and visuals come into play, you need to determine the mission/vision of your business — it’s one of the first and most important parts of branding. You need to know who you are, what you do and who you serve. Who is your niche market? What do you want to become known for? Once these components are solidified, you will find that your overall identity looks so much more professional, because you know exactly who you are.
5. You will be unique.
Professional branding will set you apart and help you to stand out from the crowd. In this saturated world of online business, there are a million other people who do exactly what you do — they have similar websites, offer similar services and more. So, why should someone choose you over someone else? How can you position yourself, your messaging, your website and your services differently?
6. You will gain a following.
This goes back to #1. The more consistent that you show up where your potential customers are hanging out and the more legitimate that you look — the more that people, in turn, will take you seriously. If you position yourself as an expert, speak to people’s pain points and offer a lot of value (especially if it’s free) people will like, trust and follow you more and more. Once you have a following (like a solid email list, weekly blog readers or Facebook group members) you will have more people interested in what you have to offer and who will more than likely buy from you, whether it’s now or in the future.
7. You will emotionally connect with your clients/customers.
To add to the idea of having a following and offering a lot of free value to them connects to this point and the “know, like, trust” factor. Again, once people like you enough, they will connect with you on a deeper level because they know that you can help them. Instead of just being someone that they see pop in Facebook groups from time to time or someone who offered them a downloadable freebie once (like everyone else) you will be someone who they regularly seek out and trust. Once someone sees that you can help better their business, they will more likely want to work with you. But, not as many will want to if they don’t feel like you are an expert who can help them. So, make sure that you not only ARE the part, but LOOK the part, too.