Building a brand is essential when it comes to locking in the long-term growth potential of your business. It gives you a firm foundation from which to work and can help frame and guide your marketing efforts going forward. In short, it creates the kind of consistency that can help you build customer loyalty, strengthen your company identity and find a market niche.
If you’re working to a tight budget, however, branding can seem like something of a luxury. How do you go about securing some of the benefits of intelligent branding without the need to splash the cash?
Branding isn’t just for big companies
Branding is sometimes seen as being synonymous with big spending. Global companies hand eye-watering amounts of money to brand consultants to give them a branding makeover. It’s a world that can feel a million miles away from your average small business.
Branding isn’t just about the global names, however. Every business will establish some kind of brand association in the minds of their target market whether they actively seek to do so or not. The branding process is about taking control of that process and directing it so it accurately portrays what your business is all about. Your branding should work to add value to your business not detract from it.
Keep your branding consistent
If you have a limited marketing budget the key thing to remember is that consistency will do much of the work for you. Make sure that your website and social media channels are communicating a consistent brand message.
Don’t have a website and Facebook feed that champions your sustainability credentials while using Twitter to vent about problems with local parking. Make sure that the message you are communicating ties together, coherently.
Think about the visuals
As well as the actual message you are communicating, there should be visual consistency too. Even if you can’t afford a comprehensive branding strategy a few aspects such as a professionally designed logo as well as consistent colour and font choices can make all the difference. These should be used across all your marketing channels, reinforcing your company image and reflecting your brand identity.
Stay in touch
As well as being consistent in the message you communicate and the visual tools you use, you need to make sure you keep in touch with your customers. Think about how you can increase engagement across your social media channels.
Regular posts and updates, tailored personal messages, phone videos, behind the scenes insight, anything that makes your brand more human and immediate should be explored. How do brands you admire keep in touch with their customers and wider audience?
Branding needn’t cost the earth
Well-thought-out professional branding needn’t be expensive. At Dawn Creative, we provide branding support and strategy for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to national names and global brands. Our experienced creative team can find out what makes your business unique and can then help you shout about it.
We can provide the tailored help your business needs to fire-up your marketing and really make an impression.
Contact us today to find out more about our branding services.
