As of 2020, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States.
This number accounts for 99.9% of all businesses in the country. That’s a pretty impressive number considering big corporations, like Netflix and Apple, is what comes to mind when people think, “business.”
That is also a large number of businesses for one country. Unfortunately, some businesses remain just that, a business.
They may generate enough to break even or, if they’re lucky, be profitable. However, a business needs to do more than make money to grow and expand. It needs to learn how to build a brand.
If you’re ready to grow your business bigger than you’ve ever imagined, look no further.
Here are seven things you can do to turn your business into a reputable brand.
1. Define Your Vision
You may have started your business with one goal in mind: to make money. That doesn’t carry you very far when your business does start bringing in money.
So, how do you cross the threshold from business to brand?
A brand has a story, a mission, and key values, much like a real person does. In fact, treat your business like a living entity–the IRS does.
Why did your business start? What’s the story behind it? Does that, in any way, inform your company’s mission? What values does your company have?
For example, if you own a cleaning business, what’s the vision behind your company that keeps you returning to the office day after day?
You might be motivated to help your customers create a clean and sacred space in their homes where they can relax at the end of the day. Or, you want to help cross a few things off of your customer’s list so they can enjoy more of life.
Whatever it is, find it, frame it, and let it be the north star that guides your business.
2. Create A Recognizable Logo
Do you remember the Pixar lamp that hopped across your TV?
It is such an iconic logo capture that hundreds of people have created their own spinoff on the Pixar logo animation. People even dress up as the Pixar lamp for Halloween. That’s how you know The Walt Disney Company has created a brand out of Pixar.
People recognize the logo and associate it with the brand. That’s brand recognition for you.
For businesses looking to thrive in the online space via the medium of video, building a brand logo animation can help to capture the attention of online customers with ease.
3. Build Consistency Throughout Your Brand
To build consistent company branding, you must establish a consistent brand voice.
This means that any and every piece of content that your business puts out in front of your customers, should sound like they came from the same person.
Brand voice exists on your company’s
- website
- social media accounts
- customer service inquiries
- and anywhere else your business interacts with customers
It’s hard to do when multiple people and teams run your business.
Your solution?
Create a document of your brand voice guidelines and distribute it amongst all your employees. This way, you and your employees create a standard experience for all customers at every point of interaction with your business.
4. Build Your Social Media Presence
Remember how adamant Gary V was on bringing your business to TikTok?
He wasn’t wrong when he said it’s the next big thing.
As of late 2020, there are as many as 689 million monthly active users on the app. Your customer base is only a fraction of this app’s user base, and that’s not to make you feel bad.
Instead, this means that there are 689 million potential customers that you can put your business in front of. And that’s only TikTok.
A brand leverages social media and business tools to expand its reach. If you don’t know how to use it, hire someone who does.
5. Be Authentic
Whoever is running Tarte Cosmetics’ Twitter account knows that people love relatable brands. That explains all the gifs and witty one-liners they use. It helps the brand to come off as authentic to its customers.
People like relatable.
But, if Tarte’s Twitter history shows anything, it’s that they don’t have a full grasp on their social media strategy. They know how to be relatable but they don’t know how to leverage it to bring more brand awareness.
Everyone can be human. It’s not hard.
But, businesses that know how to build humaneness, vulnerability, and authenticity into their customer relationships enjoy the distinguishing mark of being a successful brand.
6. Build Systems And Replicate
There’s a quality of automation that comes with growing a business.
You won’t have time to oversee everything, but you don’t have to with the right systems in place.
Businesses looking to expand and build a brand should create systems of operations that can be replicated.
For example, how does your company onboard employees? If you own a business that operates online, your employees may hail from all over the world.
However, your employees should go through the same onboarding process regardless of their location.
To grow your business and keep consistency, build systems and replicate.
7. Measure Success With Your Vision
No, not with your eyes.
Measure the success of your company against the vision you had when starting your business. Remember your north star?
Everything that a brand does should be aligned with the company’s larger mission and key values. That is your “why.”
If you can’t account for your business’ actions and decisions using your larger mission and values, you are off-course. You’ve forgotten your why and now, you’re attracting the wrong crowd.
You know who and what your brand is targeting. Stay true to the brand and the right customers, the right audience will find their way.
Build A Brand Today
There are many reasons why some businesses remain just businesses.
It can be comfort, fear, oblivion, lack of aptitude, or lack of strategy. These reasons hold businesses back from achieving the success that they are capable of.
However, you know that your business has what it takes to build a brand and be successful. Your business is not ordinary and neither are you.
Take these company branding strategies and apply them to your business to start building a brand today.
For more branding tips, check out more from our business and finance section!