5 Clever Branding Tips to Help Expand Your Home Business


Anyone involved with a home business naturally wants that business to grow and flourish. But that’s not something that will happen all on its own. You have to give it a jump-start, and this is where branding comes in.

Branding is a fairly broad concept, but what it really comes down to is expressing who your company is and what sets you apart from your competition. As you establish your identity, here are 5 important ideas you should keep in mind.

Think of your brand as a person

No one wants to engage with a cold, faceless corporation with zero personality. Imagine that the clients who come to your company for products or services are speaking with one specific person. What does that person look like? What are their values? How do they communicate? These are all things you should keep in mind when building your business’s brand, and personifying your values will help you establish them in a more concrete, specific way. If you’re having trouble imagining your brand as a person, consider visualizing something else, like a car, animal, or archetype.

Be consistent

Every piece of your business’s branding – from the look of your website to the design of the branded envelopes you use for direct mail marketing – should be visually consistent. If your marketing pieces don’t look like they’re all for the same company, you’ll end up confusing the people you’re trying to reach. One of the major keys to good branding is repetition; the more times someone is exposed to your logo, slogan or brand colors, the more likely they’ll be to keep that brand in mind.

Don’t spread yourself too thin

If you try to do everything at once, you’ll end up pleasing nobody. Instead of trying to be a brand that is all things to all people, find your niche. Figure out the people who are best served by what your company has to offer, and play to those strengths. Be specific and confident in your marketing materials about who you are and what you stand for; don’t just tell people what you think they want to hear.

Avoid biting someone else’s style

When you’re not sure where to start with your branding, the temptation is strong to simply emulate a successful company in your industry. That’s not a bad place to start, but if you don’t set yourself apart in some way, you’re just copying someone else—and why would anyone come to you when that brand already exists? Look to other brands for inspiration—or even better, look for what sort of brand personalities don’t already exist that consumers may be looking for.

Don’t rebrand too often

Branding isn’t something you do just once; as your industry evolves, you may need to reevaluate your brand and make changes as needed. But be careful not to rebrand too often, or consumers will have a hard time recognizing your brand from one day to the next. This is why it’s so important to use evergreen branding elements. Instead of chasing the latest trends and fads, make sure your brand will last for years to come.

These are just a few of the concepts you should take into account when building your business’s brand. Keep them in mind, and your marketing efforts will be much more successful.

Photo Credit: Depositphotos

 

Branding