Brand yourself with excellence

Many small business owners ask why they need a brand. To them, it seems like a waste of time and money since customers and prospects know who they are. They are too busy trying to find new customers to spend any time building a brand!

In this increasingly crowded business world, it’s very difficult to stand out from other companies. Access to the Internet coupled with next day shipping has removed most distribution barriers, and products have now become commodities. To the consumer, many companies that provide gardening products are similar, so they search for the lowest price.

A company’s brand ensures their value can stand out out from their competitors. It helps that company “get found” when a customer is shopping since it makes them memorable!

In this economy, people buy when they are “in pain” and have the money to solve that problem. Any marketing activity a company does ensures that the business can get found when the customer is ready to buy. If the consumer can’t find the company, it has no chance of being chosen. A consumer has to consider that company (i.e. put them in the “maybe” pile) to get a sale. Fortunately, most successful companies get chosen more than 33 percent of the time they are considered by a customer. The key to growing a business is to get considered by more often by shopping consumers.

Some small businesses confuse a brand with a logo. A brand separates the company from its competitor. It is an emotional experience. What will the customer see and feel when interacting with a company? The brand is what the company is known for, the pain it solves and its values. Alternately, a logo is just a graphical representation of the company’s name. While the logo can be recognizable, it’s not the brand.

Consumers will pay more for a company’s brand that adds value. For example, what comes to mind when a consumer thinks of Apple? The company is known for innovative, hip, easy-to-use and expensive technology. This is evident in all Apple’s products and stores. For consumers, the brand clearly adds more value since Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Brands help companies connect with the consumer’s pain. Remember, a valuable service is what a customer seeks, not what the company wants to provide.

Developing a brand is an investment process. Consumers stay loyal to brands they buy and remember. It makes it harder for them to switch to a competitor. In this social media connected world, eventually satisfied customers will promote the company’s brand, making it even more powerful.

Here are four steps to start developing an effective company brand:

1. State why your business is important to customers.
Determine requirements for every supplier. Complete this sentence: “My company helps _______who are _____. For the first blank, fill in your perfect customers. Who are they? Narrow this down as much as possible. In the second blank, fill in the pain your company specifically solves. For example, “My company helps home owners make their property look beautiful.”

2. Describe what your company is the best at doing.
Ask your customers which adjectives they use to describe your company. Why did they choose to buy from you at the beginning? Why do they continue to be your customer? Is it your unique product or service offering? Is your company the fastest, or most knowledgeable? Take time to brainstorm the answer to this question. Match your answers with those of your customers.

3. Test the brand in front of your employees and customers. 
Does your brand ring true for them? Do your products and all your actions around it reflect your brand? If they do not, this is the time to make adjustments. Many companies say their brand is one thing, but their actions for customers don’t reflect it.

4. Practice your brand. 
Can everyone in your company state your brand? When asked, do they all say the same thing? Teach all employees the exact answer to the question: What does your company do (as discussed in number one)?

Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded companies with a great deal of success and failure for more than 20 years and is the author of four small business books and a contributing journalist to American Express Open Forum and Forbes. He hosts a weekly radio show for small business owners. www.barrymoltz.com