Being a small business owner is no easy feat. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate. Odds are you the sales department, service department, customer relations manager, marketing department, and so much more. With all that responsibility, sometimes it’s easy to let branding slip to the back burner. But that is a huge mistake. Danger, Will Robinson! Today I want to dive right in to help you identify (and fix!) the six biggest branding blunders I see small business owners make.
Not Being Consistent
Let’s start by talking about your visual brand. Consistency is key. Make sure you are using the same logo, color palette, and fonts across your marketing. Developing a strong visual brand is all about building something recognizable. If you are constantly switching things up, you won’t be easily recognized. Have a main logo, an alternate logo, a color palette with hex code, and at least 3 fonts: a header font, a sub header font, and a type font.
Not Defining Your Niche
In order to define your niche, you need to have a very clear message about your business. If you are trying to sell to everybody, you’re selling to nobody. Develop a solid customer avatar, beyond age, gender, and income level. What do they love? What do they hate? Where do they shop? Get to know your customer avatar like they are your best friend, then “talk” to them in your website copy, social media posts, etc.
Not Responding On Social Media
The whole point of social media is to be social. Make sure you are talking to your audience and not at them. And be quick to respond to comments and messages. 1) This makes you appear available and friendly and 2) it makes you look human.
Jeff Bezos, President of Amazon, famously said “Your brand is what others say about you when you’re not in the room.” It’s the emotion and experience that people associate with your business, your product, and your service. If folks are engaging with you on social media and you aren’t engaging back, they will feel ignored, and they will stop.
Poor Customer Service
Next on the list of the six biggest branding blunders is poor customer service. This should go without saying, but I’m gonna say it anyway. Customer Service should be the #1 focus for every business. But in this day and age, it’s becoming a lost art. Many companies have long customer service workflows, most of which begin with a call to an automated system or an online form.
Here is where we small business owner’s can truly excel. Be a real human being helping real human beings. Go above and beyond for your clients or customers. Use their name when you speak to them. Treat them like they are family. And blow them away with your amazing service or product. I’m a big believer in under-promising, over-delivering. It will be such a surprise and a treat, they’ll be raving fans of your business, and happy to tell everyone just how awesome you are. Remember, the basis of branding is how your client FEELS about your business. Make them feel like they are a VIP.
Forgetting What Sets You Apart
It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, the market is saturated. I’m sure that you can name at least 5 other companies that do what you do. But here’s the thing – your customer probably can’t. The market appears more saturated than it is. With this in mind, know what makes you different, and be able to vocalize it comfortably. What do you have that no one else does? A guarantee? An amazing client experience? Make sure you tell your audience what sets you apart.
Not Using Professional Photos
This one is a biggie, folks. Quick story time. Last summer, my family vacationed in Branson, Missouri. We were eating lunch in a quirky diner one day that happened to have live entertainment. On the wall next to our table was a TV screen showing showtimes for their performers. There was one or two that I wouldn’t have minded coming back to see. The rest I couldn’t care less. Want to know why? Only a couple of the performers had professional photos, making themselves appear to be professional performers. The rest had cell phone selfies, and it was a total turnoff.
You need professional photography. Your image matters. Professional is as professional does. At the very least you need a professional headshot as the profile photo on your social media pages. And if you are promoting any kind of product or service, a personal branding session could do amazing things for you! Just think – plenty of fresh, branded content to share on your website and social media that will not only make you look like the professional you are, but also resonate with your target audience! It’s a no brainer!
If you’re in the Houston area, I’d love to chat with you about planning a photo session. Click here to schedule a phone consultation.
I sincerely hope that today’s post about the has helped you. Make sure that you’re avoiding the six biggest branding blunders, and you’ll build an amazing business and brand you can be proud of!
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