Whatever industry or sector your business operates in, competition is continually increasing. Standing out in the market place is becoming increasingly difficult, as businesses are often competing in loud and overwhelming spaces. Additionally, customers and clients are expecting more from the organisations that they spend their hard earned money with. Therefore, businesses need to be much more intentional and strategic in the ways they attempt to secures sales and engage with audiences.
Having a robust brand strategy and a clearly defined brand, is a highly effective strategy to help your business stand out. It will help to grab the attention of prospects and give your business a competitive edge. Yet, so many small business owners do not invest adequate time or resource to successfully brand build. They fail to see the strong correlation between branding and sales. Nor do they see how the strength of the brand can be the deciding factor behind a prospect choosing to buy from them.
In case you are one of those business owners who are unclear, here are 4 ways that having a strong brand can help you to attract new clients and customers.
Differentiation
If your pricing and offer is not totally different to that of your competitors, how do prospects decide to buy from you? If your brand is strong and differentiates you from your competitors, prospects have a reason to select you over other businesses in the market place when other factors remain the same. Your branding should effectively and consistently communicate your brand values and subsequently why your customers/clients should buy from you over your competition. If your competition is continuously talking about speed, but your brand focuses on quality, then those looking for quality will more than likely come to you. If your competitors website is full of blurry images and spelling mistakes, whilst yours is well designed, your prospect is much more likely to view you as the best choice.
Does your current branding differentiate you from your competition?
Perceived Quality
If your brand identity is of poor quality, your brand will be associated with poor quality. Conversely if you have strong brand assets and well written, engaging copy, your brand will be perceived as good quality. People are much more likely to invest in companies that they perceive as providing top quality. It is therefore essential that you invest in ensuring your brand assets are well designed and professional. A few easy wins include ensuring you use high resolution images, spell check your website and use one or two fonts consistently.
Does your current branding represent good quality?
Builds Trust
Trust makes the decision making process easier to navigate for your prospects. If they believe your company to be trustworthy, they will find it much easier to part with their cash. People are also much more likely to buy from companies they are familiar with. People tend to build trust amongst brands that are familiar.
You can build trust through a variety of methods including through the sharing of your brand values and acting upon them consistently. If you operate in a way that is inconsistent with your brand values, this is a sure fire way of losing trust. Sharing why your product or service works for your customers/clients can also help to build trust, particularly if shared alongside testimonials and/or case studies. Social proof can build a deeper feeling of trust.
Do your brand communications illicit trust amongst your prospects?
Referrals and recommendations
A strong brand builds memorability. If your brand is remembered positively, your customers/clients and prospects are much more likely to recall your brand when asked for recommendations. If your customers and clients receive a service that is congruent with your brand messaging, they are much more likely to refer you to others who may require your product or service. If you provide a good brand experience from initial engagement to post sale, this will also lead to positive perceptions and feelings around your brand. This will help to create brand advocates who will shout about your brand to prospects.
Does your brand experience encourage brand advocacy?
Brand strategy is a key element to the Business Growth process. If you want to grow your business in 2022, work with She’s the Boss. Book a free exploration call to see how we can assist your business growth journey.