By LEO GIOSUÈ(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
You’ve got a business plan. You’ve got your product perfected and ready for prime-time. But there’s still something missing -- that last little professional touch that shows you’re ready to go toe-to-toe with the big guys. You need a unified brand that’s recognizable, shareable, and engaging. So how do you get there?First off, you’re going to want to design your logo. You’re going to want to think very simple, and minimize the amount of small text, as this will be hard to read on things like business cards or social media icons. If this is something you’re good at, great! If graphic design isn’t your thing but you are an artist, try drawing out something by hand. If not, head over to Canva.com, a free online graphic design tool that starts you with templates, paired fonts, and color palettes to make it easy to design a high-quality logo in minutes. Even if it’s just a sketch, don’t worry -- a good print partner will be able to convert that drawing into a vector file, which can be printed or displayed at any size without loss of quality.Now that you have a logo, you definitely need to update your presence on social media. Unify your brand by updating your profile photos to match your logo. Maybe even make a post to communicate the new change to all your fans!Alright, so your digital ducks are now all in a nice little row. How can you bring this branding to the physical world? The first priority should be to consider your customer’s unboxing experience. This is a perfect opportunity to reinforce your brand, and you should definitely take advantage of it. You can order custom product labels from online suppliers like Sira Print for an inexpensive way to elevate your brand. You can label any product with vinyl or polypropylene stickers & labels -- they’re waterproof, weatherproof, and even dishwasher safe. They can be cut to any shape or size, so they’ll fit anything from lip balm to large items.A popular trend is to include a sticker representing your brand with your orders, and it’s clear to see why -- high quality stickers are inexpensive, and by providing them free to your customers you give them the opportunity to represent your brand wherever they travel. With the rise of popularity in hydroflasks, many of your customers are carrying around a portable billboard representing the brands they love -- why not include yours?Finally, if you have an office or retail space, trade show booth, or event, it’s important to display your brand and key messaging to people walking past. Make use of window decals, roll-up banners, and wall decals to reinforce your brand inside and out of your space. Or, use street decals to direct passersby to your business.Small businesses are tough, but extremely rewarding. One major hurdle in bringing your business to market is looking professional to alleviate any buyer concerns. With careful, professional branding you will be able to win that trust and turn your customers into advocates.
