All companies regardless of size can have a brand. Your brand evokes a feeling or an expectation when someone comes across it, and ultimately, creates a connection with your target customer who eventually buys something from you.
Large companies have the luxury of being able to spend money on branding. Most small companies do not. Branding works when it’s consistent and ubiquitous – a logo, a storefront, a commercial, a website, a product design. To keep all of this working together requires time, people, and money.
What’s a small company to do then, if they can’t spend to build their brand. Two things: marketing and how they deliver.
Marketing is about forming relationships with people, some of whom will decide to purchase your product or service. Through your marketing, you should already be setting expectations and delivering value. Give away information, give away training, give away something tangible. When it comes time for you to ask for the sale, you already have an existing relationship, and your prospective customer already knows how and what you deliver. The sales transaction at that point is a simple exchange of money for expected value.
Overtime, your company becomes known for its marketing because you’re already over delivering before the sale. This fact becomes an essential of your brand and it’s how you are perceived by prospects and customers. In the past few years, this is what HubSpot has done. Not only have they used their marketing to build their brand, but they’ve used it to create a whole new segment of marketing called inbound marketing.
If you own a small company, don’t get bogged down in brand building. Use your marketing to build relationships with prospects and customers, and the brand you want will eventually appear.
Image by rahuldlucca
What are doing today to build your brand, and what do you think you should be doing differently?
Free Inbound Marketing Plan Template
Online presence optimization is a key ingredient in your inbound marketing plan. You want to clearly identify your target customers and how they are searching for your services online.
If you don’t have one already, here is a free template that will help you make sure you have clearly identified and aligned your business objectives and marketing activity.
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