Why does a brand matter, especially when your business is just getting off the ground, or just establishing itself? Doesn’t branding come later?

No. Start now. Here’s why: Your brand is your first and lasting sales pitch.

It doesn’t matter if you’re running a shop around the corner or an international corporation. If your brand isn’t selling your business, you’re losing.

When defining a brand for your small business, make sure it does three key things:

1.     State your audience

Who does your product or service benefit? Get specific. Is it for busy pet owners who prefer in-home grooming services on an as-needed basis? Single parents who need help with the day-to-day basics of running a household like laundry, dinner prep, and carpooling?

At Verve Concepts we work with our small-business clients to identify their best audiences — those groups of customers who are eager to buy what our clients are selling — then we work hard to connect with that audience, and on their terms. Unfortunately, we see lots of companies who try to get their message out as far and wide as possible, hoping at least a few customers will be interested enough to listen. But that’s not good branding, that’s just wasting resources. Remember, the better your target, the better your chances.

2.     State what you’re good at

Think about the last time you were looking for an expert with a particular skill. Perhaps your office needed an upgrade to its network, especially its speed and security. Did you go online to search, “decent network fixing guy”? Definitely not! You wouldn’t leave your network security to a general internet search. You’d look for the best. Your brand should be doing the same for your business. A great brand is upfront about what your business excels at.

Once you know who your brand serves, you can speak more strategically about what you can do to help them. What, specifically, does your business do well and how does that benefit your potential clients? What does your customer need that only you can offer? Why should they feel more secure/confident/excited to buy from you than from your competitors?

Our Verve Concepts strategy has always been to bring transparency and approachability to our work with our small businesses. Today, Google ranks us #1 for “NYC Small Business Branding Agency.” We know we couldn’t have achieved that success without fulfilling the promises our brand makes to our clients.

3.     State what makes you different

Does your business take the risk out of choosing the right contractor? Do you introduce children to foreign languages earlier than any other program available? Has your customer satisfaction score been above 90% for five years and running? Your business is unique — your brand should tell the world how.

At Verve Concepts, we make branding affordable and effective for small businesses because we understand small business. There’s no other challenge we like better. For us, it’s that simple.

What statements are you shaping your brand around? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line.