Your Vision is Clear. Make sure Your Branding it too.
BRANDING FOR SMALL BUSINESS
Your Vision and Your Brand: Creating a Clear Reflection
By Mary Louise Rubin
CMO
By the time I partnered with my husband to start a music business he had dreamed of for years, I had nearly 15 years of experience managing brands large and small. I knew all about developing brands – from crafting personalities intrinsically connected to a company’s vision to building positionings that resonate with the right audience to ensuring that every visual (starting with the logo) and message works together to create value overtime – I felt confident I could get the branding right in no time. “I got this!” I said to myself, and my husband was happy to know I could conquer that part of the to-do list. I always dreamed of creating something from scratch too, so our separate skill sets would make us a great team.
But when the reality of starting a new venture kicks in, and the priority is answering the phone, making the next pitch or fulfilling the next order, all while ensuring that those first customers have nothing to share but delight, the time to focus on long-term brand strategy can be lost in the shuffle. On top of that, even if you have years of related experience and a partner (spouse or otherwise) to brainstorm with, it often becomes evident that an “outsider” can be the key to identifying exactly what you want your brand to be, and why it matters.
For our small business, the time-crunch made us launch with a positioning that wasn’t yet fully articulated (we had two distinct target audiences which made it extra challenging) and a logo that we weren’t entirely excited about. While a brand is much more than a logo, the logo is the first visual representation, and thus, the painstaking attention to logo design is there for a reason. When the positioning of the business is still evolving, it will most likely be hard to get a designer to design something that perfectly fits your vision. Some designers can work magic, but still.
A business can’t be launched without a logo, so we embraced what we had while focusing on the services and experiences we offered, knowing we needed to get back to evolving our brand. By delivering something new and different, with the highest level of customer satisfaction, our brand began to build. We expanded our services and made many adjustments along the long, hard road that is year one of a new business. Customers came back for more.
Eventually, we found the moment to re-focus on the fundamentals. This time, we realized we needed an outside consultant to help us through the process and dive deeper into articulating what we really wanted our brand to be. About six months and many meetings later, we had a clear positioning that informed a new logo we loved and solidified the brand voice. We began to more clearly articulate our brand value through every customer touchpoint, whether we acquired new customers by word of mouth or a google search. We knew we were on the right road to building a business, and a brand, that was aligned with our vision and values. Replay Music Studios became a beloved destination for musicians of all ages. While we had to pivot because of the pandemic, our brand and what it means to our customers has helped to keep the loyalty strong.
Even if you have marketing and branding experience, the value of hiring an expert to take you through the process is well worth the time and investment. There are countless resources available on-line that guide you through the work required to establish a brand, such as this in depth article from The Hartford Small Biz Ahead: A Comprehensive Guide to Small Business Branding. However, the process is daunting, takes discipline and broad strategic thinking, and an outsider perspective ensures you won’t get lost inside your own vision, one that may not translate into a clear and distinct positioning in the marketplace.
Whether you are in the first phase of establishing your business or feel the need to evolve after a period of time, the steps provided in the article referenced above will help guide you to establishing your brand with the exact purpose, attributes and aesthetic you seek:
1. Outline your brand’s purpose
2. Research competitor brands
3. Decide on your target audience
4. Determine your brand personality
5. Develop your brand story and brand messages
6. Create a visual identity
7. Integrate your brand into your business
While it is possible to go it alone through this process and land where you want to be, it is more probable that working with an outside expert will bring more reward in the end, not to mention time saved getting it right the first time. The right consultant brings a broad perspective and specific learned approaches to ensure your vision is translated into a meaningful market position. Each step of the process is critical, and when you find the right brand consultant who listens, uncovers insights, articulates with precision and becomes part of your team with hands-on guidance at every step, you can be assured that the result will be establishing a brand that supports every aspect of building your business to profitability and long-term success.