In any marketing that you do for your small business, you want to approach it with a consistent brand. This will help make a stronger connection with consumers and enhance the perceived value of your products or services.
Most people hear the term “branding” and think of it in simple terms. Logo, color scheme, fonts—these are the core elements of your brand from a design standpoint. And yes, you want to use them consistently throughout all marketing materials you produce. Your signage should match with your stationery. Your brochures should reflect the same design look as your business cards. Your billboards and ads need to complement one another. In a nutshell, your stuff needs to always look like your stuff.
However, the concept of branding goes deeper than just those consistent design elements. This is more important than ever now because marketing has evolved with the growth of the Internet and social media. Obviously, your website should match with your print marketing materials. Same goes for your social media pages. Customize the brand look with your logo, colors and imagery that are consistent with everything else you do.
Then, the secondary aspect of branding is just as vital. It is your marketing message. What are you selling? What image are you trying to portray? What one thing do you want consumers to know about your business above anything else?
One component to achieve this is a slogan, or tagline. “Just Do It.” “Have It Your Way.” “Just for the Taste of It.” “You’re In Good Hands.” Those are just some examples of major marketing campaigns that have resulted in unforgettable slogans. You hear these phrases and you immediately think of Nike, Burger King, Diet Coke or Allstate.
As a small business, you are marketing on a smaller level—usually on a local basis. Still, if your marketing is done right and your slogan is used consistently, it can really make a big impact. One of our biggest success stories at NextGear Marketing is Ralph’s Transmission in Modesto, CA. We came up with a slogan of “A Commitment to Quality Since 1969” and it has become a representation of everything their shop stands for.
“People come in all the time and say that slogan resonated with them and they felt comfortable working with us because of our commitment to quality,” says Mario Jauregui, owner of Ralph’s Transmission. “They see the tagline on billboards all around town, hear it on the radio, see it in ads and come across it online when searching for transmission services. It’s clear that it sticks in their minds and helps them when considering our business.”
Still, a consistent slogan/tagline is only one piece of the puzzle. After all, you can only say so much about your business in one short phrase. It should encapsulate your strongest marketing point or unique selling proposition (USP). Then, you use your marketing materials, website, blog, word-of-mouth and social media to promote other key sales points and perpetuate the image you want to put out there. You can use different media to get across multiple marketing messages, but you still want the overall brand image to come across in everything you do. It always needs to circle back to a consistent message.
So ultimately, branding comes down to what they see and what you say. Design-wise, your brand should be consistent across the board. Message-wise, you also need to be consistent in order to establish a memorable marketing identity. When you do it right on all fronts, you will have a more powerful marketing campaign for your small business.
We hope you find this article helpful. If you have any questions or would like a free, no-obligation marketing consultation from NextGear Marketing, contact us today.
