Most small business owners struggle with the questions “how to get more business”. The answer Branding, Branding, Branding!

Branding is the hallmark of success for any business. What customers feel or think about your brand will determine their purchasing decision. Overall, you want to have a brand that is trusted; one that appeals to the emotions of your customers and that they can know what to expect from. Brands are created by what you say and do. It is what your readers, prospects and customers experience and say to their friends.

But why should you brand? Well apart from finally solving the problem of “how to get more business”,  It enables you to:

a) Offer customers and prospects a unique experience

Buying is an emotional decision. Your prospects have to be appealed by what you are offering and see how it can make their lives better. You should offer customers a unique experience right from when they first come across your company up to when they purchase. You want to intrigue your customers with your web content, design, logo, ordering process, customer service and so on.

Your content should be available to your market through all the major avenues that they use. Wherever the content is made available, it should be in line with your branding goals.

b) Define and attract your target market

Branding helps you to define who your target customers are and attract qualified leads. The demographics of your target marker should guide your brand decisions, from the business colors you use to the way you interact with customers. The market should also guide you on the content to provide, product differentiation and marketing methods to adopt.

Effective branding should be targeted at a highly focused and well-defined market that is interested in your product and has the ability to purchase. Tailoring your brand to reach the whole market is not only expensive, but is likely to lead to a negative Return on Investment (ROI).

c) Turn your small business into an empire

In today’s competitive business environment, image is everything. Effective branding can quickly turn your small business into a force to be reckoned with in your industry. The experience that you offer your target market will make or break your business. Small and medium sized businesses can use branding to turn from “mom-and-pop” operations to businesses worth a second look.

When you are marketing online, users are watching and following you. You should therefore present your company as a trusted brand. 34 percent of bloggers post their opinion and reviews about products. (Source: June, 2010 issue of Marketing Vox and Nielsen BuzzMetrics SES Magazine). You want these bloggers to depict you as a leader in your industry.

d) Differentiate your brand from your competition

In a market with similar products or offerings from your competitors, differentiation can determine which company will get the largest market share. Differentiation, right from product to image, is crucial to standing out in a crowded market and getting noticed. Coupled with a unique value proposition (UVP), your business will be able to break the market and increase its bottom line.

e) Be the recognized authority in your industry

It is the market that makes brands. When building your brand, you must make customers excited to become brand evangelists. When customers evangelize your business, you will have lower marketing costs and more sales. A study by Nielsen showed that 90 percent of people trust recommendations from real friends and virtual strangers.