5 Tips for Branding Consistency for Small Businesses: Part 2 of Our 3-Part Series on Marketing Challenges Small Businesses Face
By Studio B2
Most branding today is done through effective digital media and printed material. And if you have one, you also want your brick-and-mortar establishment to echo your branding. One of the biggest challenges is creating and maintaining branding consistency for small businesses. This is understandably a bit difficult, due to the sheer amount of branding elements a small business needs to consider, from logos to trade show signage.
Succeeding at this element of your business is very important, since a strong brand identity helps draw in and maintain customers. Here are some tips on how you can make sure that your branding is consistent.
1. Balance Change With Branding Consistency for Small Businesses
It is very natural that your brand will evolve over time. You may add new products to your inventory, or you may choose to emphasize different values over time. However, it is very important that you do not change your brand too frequently. Doing so can erode the trust of your customers. Make any branding changes carefully and intentionally. Ensure that changes in your print and digital brand elements happen in tandem, including business cards, postcards, and social media graphics.
2. Do Not Buy Too Much Into Trends
Playing into the latest trends can be fun. However, relying on them too much can make your brand identity confusing, and it can be hard for your customers to truly engage with you. Choose the trends that you engage with strategically, and make sure that they are consistent with your brand. Do not alter any fundamental print branding elements based on trends unless you ALWAYS change them based on trends, so your customers understand and trust you.
3. Print and Digital Should Work in Concert
While print elements and your digital presence can seem separate, it is vital that you consider both of these components together. Print and digital materials should use the same fonts, logos, and other brand elements. Failure to achieve consistency here can confuse your customers.
4. Know Your Audience
No matter how great your marketing materials are, they will end up useless if they do not properly target your key demographics. For example, you probably do not want to appeal to people who do not have children if your products or services are geared toward child development. Use analytics and practical experience to determine who your audience is and create print and digital materials that reach that audience.
5. Have Experts on Your Side to Ensure Branding Consistency for Small Businesses
You already know that running a business is plenty of work, whether you are a one-person show or have 20 employees. As a result, having help with your marketing can take a lot of pressure off of you and allow you to focus on what you do best. Studio B2 knows exactly how to support your small business with consistent branding materials for print and digital use. Give us a call at 954-854-6148 to make an appointment with us as soon as possible, and let us help you power through all your marketing challenges!
Stay tuned for another post this month on marketing challenges small businesses face, Why Choose Custom Photography vs. Stock Photography, as a follow-up to last week’s post, 2 Marketing Challenges Small Businesses Face.