# Do small businesses need branding? Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2021-07-23 Category: BUSINESS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business Meta Title: Why Small Businesses Need Branding Beyond a Logo Meta Description: Learn how branding can help small businesses stand out, attract customers, and build trust. Find out how branding can make a difference to your bottom line. URL: https://financedigest.com/do-small-businesses-need-brandinghtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/small-businesse-1736838146919-compressed.jpg) **By:** **Karen Selby**, Project Leader, Brand & Visual Identity Development, Forty49 Ltd If you’re a small business, you might feel that branding is something that bigger companies do. The temptation is to focus on marketing tactics that are short term and for immediate results. But if I said that branding for [small businesses](https://www.financedigest.com/small-businesses-run-out-of-cash-before-they-run-out-of-potential.html "Small businesses run out of cash before they run out of potential") is not just about designing a logo, but is about creating your _reputation_, you might feel differently. For [small and new businesses](https://www.financedigest.com/small-businesses-and-scams-what-you-need-to-know.html "Small businesses and scams: What you need to know"), it’s important to attract and then retain customers, and that’s where branding comes in. The initial impression we have with a brand tell us that this company/widget/service is right for me. Some of the thoughts we [don’t even know](https://www.financedigest.com/twenty-four-percent-of-18-to-24-year-olds-dont-know-what-an-isa-is.html "Twenty-four percent of 18 to 24 year olds don’t know what an ISA is") we have when we first meet a brand can form a lasting impression. ![](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/a3-300x240-1736838146851-compressed.jpg) Karen Selby _‘I like the way they look. I like how they interact/transact with me; I love that they make me feel so comfortable, I like their style, I can trust them, I’ve seen them before somewhere, my brother/sister/friend knows them, they look professional.’_ **We all have a brand but are you in control?** We conduct our [business and interact with customers in a certain way](https://www.financedigest.com/5-ways-to-grow-your-business-despite-a-bad-credit-score.html "5 Ways to Grow Your Business despite a Bad Credit Score") and instinctively form an impression, but if you take a little more control, you’ll gain more value. Establishing your brand gives you a very clear purpose and helps you define what makes you different, what you stand for. It [gives you a competitive positioning and ensures that you check to see if your business](https://www.financedigest.com/how-giving-insights-into-card-spend-can-help-organisations-to-manage-their-business.html "How giving insights into card spend can help organisations to manage their business") is in line with that positioning. Once you have established that, [communicate to prospects and customers clearly and consistently wherever they might](https://www.financedigest.com/four-bad-communication-habits-that-you-might-have-slipped-into-during-the-pandemic.html "Four bad communication habits that you might have slipped into during the pandemic") come into contact with you. It could be through the visual side of your branding, your place of work, your colleagues, your literature, and advertising, online, LinkedIn, your blog, over the counter or on the phone depending on what [type of business](https://www.financedigest.com/types-of-business-partnership.html "Types of business partnership") you run. **What’s the value?** In terms of ROI, [branding for small businesses does not have to be expensive; it all depends on how much you put into it](https://www.financedigest.com/top-expensive-car-brands.html "Top Expensive Car Brands"). The real cost of establishing and nurturing a brand is passion, time and thought, and as the cornerstone of your marketing it will give a value that far outweighs any cost in the long run and make a difference to your [bottom line](https://www.financedigest.com/the-severe-impact-of-downtime-on-companies-bottom-lines.html "The severe impact of downtime on companies’ bottom lines"). It gives you: **ORIGINALITY**[– Brand establishes](https://www.financedigest.com/2016-the-fight-back-of-the-established-brand.html "2016 – THE FIGHT BACK OF THE ESTABLISHED BRAND") what you stand for and why you are the best choice in a saturated or parity market. **YOU CAN CHARGE WHAT YOU’RE WORTH**[– It’s hard getting your first customers](https://www.financedigest.com/know-your-customer-lets-make-this-easy.html "Know Your Customer – let’s make this easy") but when you have established a solid image that is recognisable and gives the right impression, you can charge accordingly. **TRUST & LOYALTY**[– when we don’t know a small business](https://www.financedigest.com/keeping-an-eye-on-company-purse-strings-where-do-businesses-go-wrong.html "Keeping an eye on company purse strings – where do businesses go wrong?"), we look for information or a positive experience to guide our decision. A branded, repeatable [experience keeps customers](https://www.financedigest.com/the-new-client-adviser-experience-in-the-age-of-the-customer.html "The New Client-Adviser Experience in the Age of the Customer") returning, and internally it gives suppliers and staff that something to believe in and engenders loyalty. **CONSISTENCY**[– A similar experience with your brand](https://www.financedigest.com/its-time-for-a-branding-re-set-getting-back-to-basics.html "It’s Time for a Branding re-set – Getting Back to Basics"), whether through social media, in a brochure or how it looks at your premises confirms your brand values and engenders further trust in you. For the [business owner](https://www.financedigest.com/5-reasons-why-you-need-to-step-into-your-ceo-role-as-a-small-business-owner.html "5 Reasons why you need to step into your CEO role as a small business owner") it is the reference by which you can measure how your brand is seen in each situation. **MEMORABLE** – [brands can visually or literally engender powerful emotion](https://www.financedigest.com/how-financial-brands-can-appeal-to-consumers-emotions-with-sms-rmm.html "How Financial Brands Can Appeal to Consumers’ Emotions with SMS/RMM"), making them more memorable. People don’t always remember a name, but they’ll always remember how they _felt_. **IT’S SHARED** – Trusted, consistent brands are more likely to be shared via word-of-mouth, social media or a link on an email. **VALUE GROWS** – the more your [brand awareness](https://www.financedigest.com/sap-boosts-brand-awareness-using-gumgums-high-impact-ad-formats-and-veritytm-gumgums-advanced-contextual-targeting-solution.html "SAP boosts brand awareness using GumGum’s high impact ad formats and VerityTM, GumGum’s advanced contextual targeting solution") grows, the more your customer base will grow as will your income. But [brands need](https://www.financedigest.com/banks-need-to-become-a-lifestyle-brand.html "Banks need to become a lifestyle brand") a little TLC every now and again to keep the alignment between what you communicate and what your business objectives are. If you are thinking about branding your [business or need help to take more control over your branding let us know](https://www.financedigest.com/setting-up-a-business-in-the-uk-heres-what-you-need-to-know.html "Setting up a business in the UK? Here’s what you need to know."). [www.forty49.co.uk](http://www.forty49.co.uk) or call 01283 533196 --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---