The power of branding for entrepreneurs

Branding is a powerful tool that businesses use to help connect to their customers and clients. A brand is more than one person. Branding is what a business stands for. It?s the values, mission and vision of not only the business owner, but the combined efforts of all involved. A brand must be lived through every element of the business, from marketing to customer service. And when done right, is the greatest asset to any business.

However, not many businesses actually spend time creating a brand, and for a very good reason. Time and effort. When you’re first starting a business, you’ve got bills to worry about, lead generation to focus on and are probably working far more hours than you ever did 9-5. But a brand is something that you should consider and focus on when you first start your business because it helps create focus. Your brand becomes the reason for your business by providing a vision; a vision that you and anyone who works for you can lock onto, and a vision that your customers will understand.

What is branding?

A brand is what your customers think of your business. Branding is what you deliberately do to shape how customers perceive your business, by setting guidelines and rules for everything in your business. A brand is lead by a mission or vision, and branding is the way that the mission is implemented across the business.

For example, your brand is made up of the colours of your website and logo, the language you use in all your copywriting and the tone of communication in your marketing. But it also includes the way you and those that work for you interact with customers, the reviews you receive and how you handle complaints. Any way that a customer interacts with your business is an opportunity for that interaction to be driven by your mission. And by being a vision driven business, you’re serving both yourself and your customers equally.

“Branding adds spirit and a soul to what would otherwise be a robotic, automated, generic price-value proposition. If branding is ultimately about the creation of human meaning, it follows logically that it is the humans who must ultimately provide it.”

? David Aaker?

Can a sole trader have a brand?

The short answer, yes! A sole trader can choose to have either a personal brand or a business brand. An instagram influencer is a perfect example of a personal brand, where an individual is the centre of the business brand. Their face, personality and voice is the business and the brand and work perfectly for certain business models like YouTube and speakers. However the downfall of a personal brand is it relies solely on that persons involvement to continue that brand. Without that person, the brand becomes nothing.

It is possible to transition from a personal brand to a business brand, however if you do plan to scale your business beyond just yourself, it is better to start off with a business brand from the outset. The benefit of doing so is you can scale the business and the brand will fit, as it does not solely rely on your involvement. The added benefit is you can easily sell the business along with the brand, should you wish to do so.

“Personal branding is about managing your name ? even if you don?t own a business ? in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records.?Going on a date? Chances are that your ?blind? date has Googled your name.?Going to a job interview? Ditto.”

??Tim Ferriss

Isn’t marketing just as good as a brand?

To understand why marketing without a brand is hard work, consider this analogy. A brand is your businesses story; how it was founded, the mission it has and is a great narrative. If the brand is the story, marketing is the way that story is told. Through presentations, emails, books and on social media.

But without a brand, a book is just empty pages and a presentation is just someone standing on a stage with nothing to say. A brand gives meaning to marketing, a substance to why your customers should choose your business over others. It is not impossible to market without a brand, but it makes it easier especially when establishing your business to use your brand as a tool to connect to your customers. Help them get to know your business intimately through your brand by telling your story. It’s what makes you unique after all.

“Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking chords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.?

??Sir Richard Branson

How do I start to create a brand?

Start by creating a vision or mission. Explore what’s at the core of your business. Why did you start it? Who does it serve? What unique value do you offer to your customers? Create a mission statement, and use that to fuel every decision your business makes. Does the way you communicate with customers abide by your mission, or does it not? Use the mission statement as a guideline for everything.

You can then start to add additional elements of branding to your mission statement. For example taglines and your logo. If your business is built to help people, your tagline should summarise exactly what you do any why you’re unique in one sentence. Make it powerful, and make it deliberate. You can then begin to consider colours for your brand, which should be carefully considered based on the psychology behind the colour, and how it serves your mission. And if you’re struggling, consult the help of experts to help build you a killer brand for your unique business. It will be worth it.

“Start by knowing what you want and who you are, build credibility around it and deliver it online in a compelling way.”

? Krista Neher