No matter what industry you’re in, offering a quality
product isn’t enough. Even if you’re better at what you do than your
competitors, it still doesn’t mean you’ll make more sales. The reason behind
this is that people prefer buying from brands they’re familiar with. This means
that if you fail to build a powerful brand for your business, your startup
might end up being left behind. In case you’re not convinced just yet, here are
five good reasons why branding is important for your startup.
It shows that you plan to stick around
According to last year’s reports, 90% of businesses fail
within their first three years. This is something consumers are already
familiar with which is why they don’t always bother forming an emotional
connection with newly-launched startups. If you want your customers to really
fall in love with your new business, you have to show them that you plan to
stick around. This is exactly what branding can help you with, since it shows you
plan to grow your business, design new products and improve your operations.
Refreshing your brand from time to time is also a great way to send a message
that your business is evolving and reaching new heights.
It builds authority
A big part of marketing now happens online. People use the
web to search for information and decide to buy from companies that provide
them with answers to their problems. This is why content marketing is one of
the best ways to promote your business in 2019. However, if you don’t build a
strong brand, internet users won’t be able to connect the answers you offer to
your business. So, to make your
content marketing efforts more successful, it’s necessary to include your
logo and other types of visuals in your content. Just bear in mind that the
focus should always be on your customers’ solutions, not self-promotion.
It helps attract more customers
Running a business is all about attracting more customers
and making more sales. When asked to choose between two products, most people
will opt for the one they know over the one they don’t. This means that once a
customer buys something from you and has something to remember you by, they’ll
be more likely to come back. Having a well-designed logo and colour scheme that
sets you apart from other businesses in your industry is guaranteed to do the
trick. You can also turn to a company such as Promotional Centre and
get caps, bags, keyrings and other promotional items for your customers.
It promotes your company’s values
People don’t just buy from businesses they like the best.
Instead, they prefer turning to companies who share their values and have a
similar outlook on life. The same goes for people who are looking for a job. Therefore,
it’s important to have in mind that your brand is much more than your logo and
business name. You also have to share your opinions on important subjects and
communicate with your customers. The best place to do this is social media and
having pages set up for your brand is a must. Just don’t forget that commenting
on sensitive subjects is something you should avoid.
It motivates employees
What branding does is help you create a cohesive story about
your startup. While this helps give your customers a better insight into what
you’re all about, it also inspires your employees to get more work done.
Workers tend to perform much better knowing they’re a part of something big,
such as a well-designed brand. The good news is, there are a number of ways you
can encourage your team members to connect with the brand. For example, designing
unique uniforms with your brand’s colour scheme and logo is something you
can never go wrong with. Another smart thing to do is define and share brand
promises with your staff.
To sum up
While extremely important, building a successful brand from
scratch isn’t easy. Invest in developing your brand and don’t forget that every
time your business interacts with the outside world, you make an impression
that will affect how people feel about your brand.