Peter O’Carroll
Peter O’Carroll suggests paying attention to the way your brand is perceived by your customer. “Walk in your front door as a customer would, and notice cleanliness, employee behavior and first impressions. Get some feedback from customers: what do they like or dislike about your company? It’s easy to get lax about your brand if you don’t consciously pay attention to it.”
Kristy Armand
Kristy Armand says, “You want to be visible in many different ways, but be sure you are consistent with your branding elements and messaging when you do so. Your look and messaging should reinforce who you are and what you do every time people come into contact with any promotional elements from your company.”
Oran Parker
Oran Parker, co-owner of Parker Brand Creative Services, says branding helps a consumer quickly identify a product. “There’s so much out there right now; so many signals coming in from all over the place; from our phones, newspapers, billboards, television, computer screens . . . having a brand to help identify a quality product will help a consumer find it more quickly in the noise.”
Erica McCreedy
Erica McCreedy, public relations director at the O’Carroll Group, says there is no such thing as an unbranded business. “You either are establishing your own brand or you’re letting the community brand it for you.” Take control over your own branding process. Assess your products and services and pinpoint where they fit within the marketplace. Clients will recognize your expertise and gain confidence in you and your business.
By Angie Kay Dilmore
Branding. All budding business persons know they need it. But how do they get it, especially when the budget is as tight as a lasso around a steer’s neck?
Many start-up small business owners find themselves in this quandary. They need to advertise and promote themselves in order to garner clients; but until they have clients, they don’t have funds for promotion. Advertising and building a brand seem to be out of the question. Or is it?
“Branding” is the buzzword in business these days because it goes beyond simple advertising. It embodies more than a logo. Branding promotes not only what a business offers, but also expresses the business owner’s core values, beliefs, character and identity. It comes from the heart of a business and the leader behind the logo.
This helps customers connect with that business on an emotional level. That is the key to customer loyalty.
Peter O’Carroll, CEO of O’Carroll Group, a Lake Charles advertising, marketing and public relations firm, says your brand is the sum total of how you are seen or perceived by your customers, prospects, employees and the general public.
“That perception is shaped by your ‘brand elements’— visual elements, such as your logo, colors, type fonts, signage, website; audio elements, such as a unique voice or music in your TV and radio commercials; other elements, such as your employees’ appearance and attitude, your building, your company vehicles, your community involvement — even the personality expressed on your Facebook page.
“The good news is you can manage all of these brand elements — without a big budget.”
Oran Parker, co-owner of Parker Brand Creative Services, says branding helps a consumer quickly identify a product.
“There’s so much out there right now; so many signals coming in from all over the place; from our phones, newspapers, billboards, television, computer screens . . . having a brand to help identify a quality product will help a consumer find it more quickly in the noise.”
Kristy Armand, co-owner of Healthy Image Marketing Agency, suggests that marketing and advertising are not synonymous. “Advertising is one element of marketing. Businesses are often afraid of the word ‘marketing’ because they think it means advertising, which they assume is expensive. Neither is necessarily true.
“There are many ways to market your brand without paid advertising. Start-ups can maximize their marketing budgets by taking advantage of free or lower cost marketing opportunities such as social media, media publicity, networking, community relations and other less-expensive promotional efforts that will support any paid advertising efforts.”
Here are some low- or no-cost tips from our experts to help business owners boost their brand:
Define Your Brand
Thoroughly understand your business. What is the purpose of your business? Who are your clients and what can you offer them? What do you want to be known for? What is your niche and how does it differ from that of other similar businesses?
Erica McCreedy, public relations director at the O’Carroll Group, says there is no such thing as an unbranded business. “You either are establishing your own brand or you’re letting the community brand it for you.”
Take control over your own branding process. Assess your products and services and pinpoint where they fit within the marketplace. Clients will recognize your expertise and gain confidence in you and your business.
Plan Ahead For Promotion
“Not putting money in your start-up budget for this is the biggest mistake I see new businesses make,” says Armand. “You can’t count on the ‘build-it-and they-will-come’ plan, or ‘my daughter is going to do some Facebook posts for us.’ The marketing aspect of your business is just as important as all the other things you are doing to ensure its success. If you don’t devote enough attention or budget to it, all the other work and money you spend to get it started could be wasted. It won’t matter how good your product or service is if you aren’t promoting or communicating the right way to the right people.”
Offer A Quality Product
Parker stresses the importance of having high quality products or services.
“If you don’t have a good product, it doesn’t matter what kind of brand you have. A lot of branding has to do with word of mouth. It’s the perception of the public. Even if you have a slick design, a slick website, the best package on the shelf, or the best advertising, all that doesn’t matter if the product or service falls apart. If it falls apart, word of mouth overtakes any branding or advertising and that becomes the public perception. That negative image then becomes the brand.
“Having a good logo, choosing the right colors, having a good package or the nicest website — all those things are secondary to knowing your story and having a good product. Have a good foundation of knowledge, a passion for what you are doing and a good quality product.”
Be Visible And Recognizable
A professionally designed logo may be your most cost-effective expense. Put that logo everywhere – your letterhead and all other paperwork, employee uniforms, lawn signs, fliers and so on. Business cards and custom pens are two of your most important branding tools.
“Use [your logo] consistently wherever it is seen,” says O’Carroll. “Make certain it doesn’t look different on your sign, your brochures, your business cards, your website, your TV commercials and so forth. The same [goes] with colors and other brand elements: if they’re used consistently, they’re more likely to be noticed and remembered by the public — giving your brand greater exposure.”
Brand Consistency
“If your company’s brand is supposed to be ‘high-end quality,’ you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you have a messy, dirty building and loud, irritating TV commercials,” says O’Carroll. “If you want to have a ‘low prices, friendly people’ brand personality, you don’t want rude, sloppy employees or a logo that says ‘elegant and expensive.’ It’s important that your brand elements match the brand you’re trying to portray.”
Armand says, “You want to be visible in many different ways, but be sure you are consistent with your branding elements and messaging when you do so. Your look and messaging should reinforce who you are and what you do every time people come into contact with any promotional elements from your company.”
Customers Are Your Friends
Strive to build relationships with your clients. Be consistent in your business practices and ethics and only make promises you know you can keep. This builds client trust, which is essential for client loyalty.
Be Authentic And Unique
Don’t try to copycat other brands or chain stores. Clients see through that kind of insecurity. Customers will be more impressed with and attracted to your own true personality.
“Your brand is, in a sense, your company’s personality, and all the brand elements should express that personality,” says O’Carroll.
While you don’t want to copy your big box competitors, do watch how they promote their brands and learn from them. “Pay attention to big companies that have strong, successful brands, such as Apple, Nike, Disney or McDonald’s,” says O’Carroll. “Observe how they promote their brands, then use the same principles and techniques — just don’t spend as much money!”
Take Customer Service To A Higher Level
Go out of your way to accommodate the needs of your customers. Anticipate future needs and plan ahead. This kind of effort is rewarded over time.
O’Carroll suggests paying attention to the way your brand is perceived by your customer. “Step outside of yourself and experience your brand the way the public sees it. Take a hard look at all your printed materials and advertising. Do they represent your brand properly and consistently?
“Walk in your front door as a customer would, and notice cleanliness, employee behavior and first impressions. Get some feedback from customers: what do they like or dislike about your company? It’s easy to get lax about your brand if you don’t consciously pay attention to it.”
Blossom Your Business
Remain true to your brand, but evolve and grow at the same time. Customers may lose interest if your business remains static.
Change things now and then. Offer new products or services. Be creative with marketing promotions and incentive programs.
Educate Your Employees
Armand says your employees are your front-line marketing people. Train them to embrace and promote your brand.
Teach your staff to interact with your customers, especially through your own example. Reinforce their training often.
Employees represent you and your company and everyone needs to be in the same brand mindset. “Empower them to answer questions, solve problems and represent your image positively within the community,” adds Armand.
Get Involved
Armand recommends business owners get involved with community organizations.
“Join the chamber, participate in community events, volunteer, sponsor charitable fundraisers. These are great ways to meet potential customers and other business people who can provide good advice as you grow your business, and also excellent opportunities to build a positive, community-focused corporate brand for your company. Plus, giving back as much as you can is always the right thing to do.”
Ask The Experts
“Get professional help with those things you can’t handle yourself,” says Armand. “Not everyone is a designer or writer. It’s much better to put money in your budget to get professional help from an agency with important aspects of branding and marketing such as logo design, ad development, social media management, website development, brochures, and writing, than trying to handle that yourself if that is not a skill set you possess.
“You wouldn’t perform your own root canal. Most people wouldn’t cut their hair or change their own oil.
“Consulting a marketing expert will not break your budget. Most will work with you and your budget guidelines.
“The success or failure of your business depends on the professional image you present and on how well you promote yourself. This is not an area to ignore.”
Social Media
“Social media is perhaps the most powerful tool for audience engagement, and if your business is not using social media, you’re already trailing behind the pack,” says McCreedy.
“Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are great ways to humanize your business and define a unique voice for your brand.
“Social media is also very active, which means you are going where your customers are and not waiting for them to eventually find you.”
Develop a professional-looking website. Keep a blog and update regularly. Maintain a vibrant presence on social media sites. Post status updates daily to let your customers know what’s new at your business and to remind them you are there to serve them. Follow these simple steps and your business will make a positive impression on the public and your brand will be “liked” throughout the marketplace.
Have A Story To Tell
Parker suggests small business owners should know who they are immediately when they open their business.
“Too many people think that branding is all about the graphics or what their website or packaging looks like. All that is a part of it, but one of the main things that needs to be done before you lay out the first design is know who you are.
“If you know who you are, you’re going to be able to tell people that story. You’ll have a language you and your staff will use throughout your products, services and marketing.”
Potential customers can’t relate to your business. They relate to YOU, the business owner. Let your personality shine through. Be open about your values and beliefs. Customers will connect with that kind of authenticity and your brand will make a positive mark in the business community.
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