If you’re trying to start a business in the UK, you’re going to have a tough time if you don’t have a brand strategy.
There are thousands of new businesses started each year in the UK, and most of them will fail. To avoid this, having local marketing strategies is the key, and there is more than one way to go about it.
This article will explore how local businesses should approach branding, along with how they can start from scratch. It will also touch on what to do when your company needs rebranding as well as what benefits brands might provide for consumers and other aspects of your operations.
What Is A Brand Strategy?
For many new entrepreneurs starting out, the words “brand strategy” sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be complicated at all. A brand strategy is just a short plan that outlines the way you want consumers to see your company.
Organising this at the beginning of your company’s lifespan will help your business reach its goals by communicating and connecting with all of the right people at the right time, making it easier for your business to be consistent and memorable.
What Is Branding?
The word “branding” has a variety of meanings.
For example, it can refer to how you want customers to see you (i.e., how you want them to view you), which is similar to how it’s used in language such as “brand personality” or “brand image.”
It can also mean a name, trademark, symbol or other device used to distinguish a product or service.
Your branding appears everywhere, from your website to your print materials. Your sign makers will need to be on board with your brand just like your website designers will be.
Getting The Three Important Parts Right
There are plenty of ways to go about your branding strategy. To start, you need to have three things: a name, logo and slogan.
Business Name
Your business name should be easy to say, easy to remember, unique and should be relevant to the company. It is important that the name is spelt the way it is on your website and documents.
Logo
You want your logo to be useful for as long as possible. A logo should be simple, memorable and scalable.
Slogan
Your slogan is added to your logo and says what you stand for. Typically, a slogan is short and sweet, but it can also be a full paragraph or two.
These three things attract customers in the beginning while they still have little experience with your services. If people like what they see and read, they’re likely to keep coming back and become repeat customers.
It’s essential for local businesses to understand how their branding can be effectively utilised in order for their marketing strategies to work properly.
The Benefits of a Strong Brand
A strong brand provides a unique identity to local businesses and services, which makes it easier for companies to distinguish themselves from their competition. This means that your customers will notice you and pay more attention to your ads.
A strong brand is consistent across all company materials, meaning that customers will be able to recognise both you and your product no matter where they see it.
A strong brand allows customers to connect with the business and develop loyalty. The stronger the brand, the more likely your customers will be to refer people to you, which means more new customers.
As you can see, a strong brand can significantly help boost your company’s growth. So, what are you waiting for?
Make sure that potential customers have a clear understanding of your business and services by developing a strong local marketing strategy today!
Building Successful Local Branding
If you want to build a strong local brand, you’ll first need to consider what your business represents. A strong brand is a lot more than just a company logo; it also includes the overall message, personality and experiences you want to give your customers.
These are often called your “brand pillars.”
Brand Pillars
Brand pillars are the main aspects of your business that define what you’re all about. Building your brand pillars is essential when creating a local business marketing strategy because they help you focus on the aspects of branding that will bring you success. These include:
- Services/Product Branding – The product or service that you provide to customers in order to meet their needs.
- Pricing – How the company charges for its products and services.
- Sales – What the business does with its money or how it makes it.
- Promotion – How a business advertises itself through advertisements and marketing tactics.
- Physical Branding – The design, colour and texture of your company’s product and service packaging.
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