New Year. New Branding. Continued Success.

When you think of branding, what comes to mind? If you’re like a lot of people, you instantly think of major corporations like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and the like. But guess what? Branding isn’t just for big corporations anymore!In fact, small businesses can actually benefit the most from strong branding. This is especially true in highly saturated markets.

If you have a lot of competitors, you should be making it your personal mission to establish a brand that sticks in the minds of your target audience. Here’s how:

Be the Biggest Fish in the Pond

In the world of small to mid-sized business marketing, it’s easy to feel like just another small fish swimming around in a really big pond. When a consumer conducts a search for businesses in your area that provide similar products and services, they may be inundated with the names of dozens of smaller-scale companies, each one seemingly identical in what they have to offer. So, how do you stand out?

Branding helps you to puff up your chest and appear bigger and more important than you actually may be. And hey – don’t take offense – we think you’re big and important just the way you are! Still, when you’re competing with tons of small businesses and even some of the major corporations, you need to give off a vibe that you’re a major competitor, a force to be reckoned with, and… as cliched as it may be… the best of the best! Establishing a strong brand image for yourself will allow your target audience to immediately identify with your business. Branding is about creating images, ideals, and voices that align with your organization and give consumers something to hold onto. And if a consumer is able to readily identify your brand above others, they’re going to rank you as having more importance and influence in their minds, thus increasing your chances of earning their business and loyalty.

Offer Streamlined Professionalism

The best brands are sleek, chic, and professional. Investing a little time and money in developing a professional and unique logo, for example, will pay you back in leaps and bounds as consumers are more likely to take your organization seriously. Falling back on cheap clipart or poorly sketched-up image, on the other hand, may be free, but will turn consumers off. Beyond your logo, you also need to evaluate the condition of your company website and social media pages. Are they clean and easy to read? How well do they flow? Are the pages cluttered with images and information, or is there a logical order to things? How simple is your website navigation? These are mission critical to amping up your brand game in 2017.

Have a Consistent Voice

People are most drawn to brands that speak with a clear and consistent voice. Regardless of whether you’re developing original website content, writing a new blog article, are tweeting, or are holding a live press conference, the “voice”, or message and ideals, of your brand should always ring true. Consistency builds trust and loyalty, which will go a long way in making your brand bigger than ever before.

Share Your Expertise

After years of hard work and dedication, you’ve become a true expert in your field. Why not share all that you have to offer with the world? Answering questions on social media sites like LinkedIn, hosting seminars and conferences, generating informative content and tutorials…all of these are incredible opportunities for sharing your talent and growing your brand.

Need some extra help? The experts at Madison Taylor Marketing have your back. As branding gurus, we’re more than happy to join your team and help you expand your brand in the new year and beyond. Give us a call to get started today.