Brand Identity is an essential tool used to stand out amongst competitors. People use the identity of a brand to recognize and connect with the business. It builds emotional connection between a prospective customer and the company. Brand Identity is vital to the success of a Small Business, without the foundation of a strong identity, even the highest quality of products may fail to be noticed.
A common misconception is that branding is just choosing certain colors or a logo. However, it is so much more than how a business is visually perceived. Branding consists of messaging, consistency, customer experience, values, proper targeting, and openness to change. All of these factors shape the overall quality of the brand.
According to Soley Creative, there are several harmful branding mistakes small businesses make that can be silent but deadly. Fortunately, it is very easy to avoid these mistakes entirely once they are recognized. Sometimes, identifying the problem is the hardest part. If you’re a small business owner who wants to build a powerful brand, here is what you need to know!
Lack of Clear Brand Voice
When starting a business, it is important to clearly present your brand voice. Brand voice is the personality of your company. It’s the way your brand communicates with its target audience. Clients want to know what you value, and more importantly, they want to ensure that the values align with theirs. If a brand voice is unclear, the business owner risks being perceived as uncertain or unstable.
A strong brand voice makes a brand more personable and trust worthy. It creates a sense of familiarity and comfort. A mission statement is a powerful tool for making the brand’s voice clear, and it defines the values and purpose in one cohesive message.
A clear Brand Voice includes:
- Values
- A Mission Statement
- Personality
For instance, a brand targeting high end clients might use a luxurious and sophisticated tone on social media, however, a brand targeting a younger generation will want to come across as youthful and casual. These approaches are drastically different but equally effective when carefully curated and consistent.
The solution? Your first step is to write a Mission Statement. Once this is clearly defined, it can be used as a guideline for the brand’s voice and identity. Afterwards, the business owner should choose a personality and apply it to all platforms, where the stability will create recognition and trust between the customers and business.
Inconsistency Across Platforms
Consistency is often overlooked when it comes to branding but it is crucial to building a lasting brand. A common mistake is to use different logos, colors, or fonts, but being consistent across social platforms shows that the brand is trustworthy, stable, and professional.
Customers often find it unsettling or have a hard time recognizing the brand if the colors, tone, and professionalism vary across channels. If your website appears to be uniform, but the social media page looks messy, people will hesitate and question the professionalism of the company. A simple way to fix this is to build strong brand awareness. Consistency affirms that the business is detail oriented and organized.
Consistent Branding has:
- One strong and uniform logo
- A definitive style
- Consistent tone
Consistency is not just about looks, but also how often you post, prompt response time, and tone are all important factors to consider. When customers constantly receive the same brand identity, it reinforces a positive experience and relationship.
A solution is to choose a brand style and apply it to every corner of the company. Creating even the simplest guide helps maintain consistency and steady growth. This includes a logo, color palette, specific fonts, and examples of personality. This guarantees that the business keeps its integrity while continuing to grow.
Neglecting Customer Experience
Chronologically, the first step of branding is ensuring the customer finds the business, however, this is only the begining. The branding experience will continue through every interaction with the company ensuring the customer experience is positive plays a huge role in how the brand is perceived. Good experiences lead to loyal customers, however, bad experiences can be poisonous.
A positive experience contains:
- Easy website navigation
- Social Media engagement
- Prompt email communication
No interaction can be overlooked. Stemming from the first click onto the website to the follow up email, each step leaves an impression. If a website is difficult to navigate or dated, customers will simply leave the site because customers feel frustrated or neglected if messages are not promptly answered.
To solve this, have a trial run of a customer experience from beginning to end. Ask a friend or family member to test the website or place an order then have an honest conversation with them about what works and what doesn’t, then, simply improve those areas. If this is done quarterly, the brand experience will continue to be positive.
Trying to Cater to Every Audience
It is a common mistake to try to attract an audience that is too vague. Failing to have an established target audience often makes the brand less effective, whereas brands have more success when they know their target audience. Once the target audience is identified, it’s much easier to appeal to that demographic. This directly drives up engagement and sales.
Good brands clearly define their audience. Once the audience is decided, it is much easier to cater to them and create products that attract the audience. This blueprint leads to strong engagement and connections.
To do so, clearly define the target audience. Qualities like age, lifestyle, and wants are all things to consider. Once the audience is established, cater your brand directly to them. When customers feel “seen”, they are much more likely to remain loyal.
Failure to Evolve
In today’s fast-paced world, markets and trends are constantly changing. Brands that fail to adapt and stay up to speed risk becoming dated, yet it is important to remember to preserve your brand’s values and foundation. Your brand does not need to change entirely. Maintaining values while incorporating trends is key, and blending trends with your brand’s values helps keep it fresh and appealing.
Evolution includes:
- Staying up to date with trends
- Updating visual content
- Listening to customer feedback
Practice this by closely following industry trends and monitoring customers expectations. Be open to feedback, review data, and collaborate with others, even small changes can make a big difference. Brands that are willing to evolve and adapt show devotion to customers.
The Takeaway
Branding mistakes can limit a small business’s potential and clip its wings, however, they are completely avoidable. If you have a clear brand voice, consistent platforms, a positive relationship with customers, a clear target audience, and open-mindedness, then your small business will know no limits. These actions lead to an influential and lucrative brand.
This type of change does not happen overnight but it is built through transparency, consistency, and perseverance. Customer recognition and trust separates a good business from a great one, and by steering clear of these mistakes, small businesses can exceed their full potential and reach long term success.
If you are ready to give your brand the attention it deserves, click here for a free quote. At Power Move Marketing, we have your brand’s best interests in everything we do. Let’s make power moves together.