Some brands are seemingly immortal. Nike’s “Just Do It,” for example, is synonymous with the brand. Your small business faces the task of creating a similarly enduring brand if it wants to stand the test of time. Here are a few things you can do to achieve that:
Keep Things Short and Sweet
There is value in exposition and detail. The more of it you utilize, the clearer your message will be. Unfortunately, a strong tag or brand doesn’t have the luxury of length.
Audiences tend to have short span, no matter the demographic. You must capture their thoughts and present your brand in as short a manner as possible.
Simplicity makes things easy to remember and thus more long-lasting. Complex brand logos may look great on paper, but in action people will trouble remembering it well.
It also makes it more emotionally resonant if they don’t have to remember as many details. Developing a tag or a logo isn’t for the faint of heart or amateurs. Find the right people to do it for you.
Express Your Purpose
Your small business’s goal is to turn a profit. Without profit, there can be no company. However, your goals do not end there.
To craft a strong brand, you must express the point of company. What is the business trying to accomplish?
Why is it here?
There’s nothing wrong with having income as a goal. It’s healthy. However, you need something more than that for two reasons.
First, it will help you make critical decisions when standard business logic doesn’t make the right choice clear. Second, it’ll help you define what makes your company unique. If you can figure that out, you’re a step closer to creating a lasting brand.
Determine Your Voice and Tone
Your brand is more than a logo or a good tag – it’s a personality. People can’t relate to cold corporations. They want more than that. They want something that speaks to them, and you can’t speak to them if you don’t know your tone and voice. Anthropomorphizing your brand is a great way to develop a lasting brand.
People won’t always remember your revenue numbers, but they will remember how you said something or your quirks.
How do you want people to perceive your company? What is your company’s tone? Is it fun or serious? Do you want to inspire deep comfort in your audience, or do you want to push them out of their comfort zones? Figuring this out is key to developing a memorable brand.
Have Everyone Evangelize
Your marketing campaign isn’t the only way to spread word of your brand far and wide. Customer advocates can go a long way towards making your product more appealing and your brand more trustworthy. Studies have shown that even the most effective marketing campaign pales when compared to social proof and word-of-mouth.
Corporations are viewed with suspicion, unlike friends and family.
If your audience understands what you’re about and can relate to your goals they’ll talk about your company without prompting. However, that’s not a reliable way to create brand ambassadors. Offer incentives such as promoting their posts, or actual prizes, for people who share and talk about your product on their social media accounts.
If you’ve yet to build a strong community, you can start word-of-mouth marketing through your employees.
Get The Best Designers and Writers You Can Afford
Your brand is only as good as the content you put out and the logo you make. Poor or cheap looking logos can severely damage whatever image you’re trying to develop. Your capital is likely tight, and you may be tempted to cut corners, but consider that your articles and logos are the first interaction many will get with your company.
If it’s a poor one, your conversion rates will suffer, along with your company.
Developing your brand isn’t easy, nor can it be done at the drop of a hat. It’s something that will take you and your small business weeks, if not months, and at the end of the process you may not even be satisfied with the output. That’s not a problem, as you can always rebrand in the future. What’s important is that what you produce is effective and can keep your company in the forefront of the consumer’s mind as much as possible.