As a small business owner, you might think branding is something that’s best left to the Apples, the Googles and the McDonalds of the world. But the truth is, it doesn’t matter how big (or how small!) our company is; if you’re in business, you need to think about branding your business.

Brand is much more than a name or a logo. Brand is everything, and everything is brand.

As a small business owner there is much to enjoy about being your own boss, such as the freedom to make the decisions and the autonomy to run the business your way. Following your passion can help you to feel good and be productive, and can also contribute positively to your mental health.

Particularly regarding small businesses with limited budgets, how can a principal justify spending ‘X’ amount of money on something without tangible evidence of business growth or return?

As a business, understanding your target audience and their motivation to follow you on social media is key in determining how to best connect with, and grow your audience. Knowing your own USPs and understanding your customers well, will help give your business a voice and means you’ll be able to create and curate content that resonates with your followers.

Let’s get a few things straight: your logo and your website are not your brand. Your brand is a culmination of the experience, perception and reputation that people have of your services. Branding is the actions taken to build your brand (strategy). And a brand identity is the tangible expression of your brand (logo, typography, colours, etc).

While it can be tempting to focus all of your time and attention on your business, it’s also essential that you take care of yourself. As an employing small business owner, or sole trader, you can face a range of unique challenges that can affect your mental health and the mental health of your staff.

You see it more and more–people at all levels cursing in professional settings to demonstrate their “authenticity.” Speaking as someone who has been known to use some colorful language, I can tell you the four-letter word that gets the most eye-rolls in the workplace is … “Love.” Surprised? “Kind” is a close runner-up.

Social media marketing can be a powerful tool for small businesses, but it requires a strategic approach and consistent effort. By following the dos and don’ts outlined in this post, you can create a social media strategy that resonates with your audience and achieves your goals.

Effective branding is more than just a logo and pretty colours. It’s the sum experience of every touch point your customer has with your product. Let’s take a look what that means.

When developing your marketing strategy, one of the most important decisions you will need to make is which marketing channels make sense to reach and engage the right audience for your business to grow or retain customers.

When you need a tissue, do you ask for a tissue, or for a Kleenex? When you’re ordering a drink at a fast-food restaurant, do you ask for a cola, or a Coke? What about when you cut yourself? Do you look for a plastic bandage, or a Band-Aid?

If you’re on a small marketing team, the sole marketing person at your company, or you’re running all facets of your business, you know what it’s like to wear multiple hats. With countless deliverables to push out to keep your small business running, social media marketing can seem like a non-essential tactic that is easy to push to the wayside when things get hectic.

Decision makers get bombarded with offers from salespeople every week, and it is no surprise that they do not take every call or answer every email. Which calls and emails do they respond to? The ones from the companies that they have heard of! This kind of brand awareness does not happen overnight, but it is never too late to start putting your brand out there. Once people know who you are and what you do, it is much easier for them to be interested in how you might be able to help them.

Building a consistent brand, both visually and communicatively is essential nowadays to attracting more customers and staying relevant. Oftentimes I find myself consulting with established business owners and marketing teams, discussing basic things that should have been addressed within the first month of trade.

One habit that isn’t changing anytime soon is that most people take time to research a company, product, or service on the internet before making a purchase. In 2020, Internet users rose an additional 7.4% to 321 million daily users. Digital marketing is a necessity for companies; your website is often your first opportunity to impress potential clients.

I’ve set this blog up not just as a platform to gas about the things that inspire and interest me; but also to open up a dialog and discuss topics related to creative work and how it can help businesses better communicate and engage with their audience. Hopefully also serving as a journal of sorts for myself about my creative-process and projects as they evolve over time.