Are you building a business or a brand? Today, we’ll go into how building a brand is different than building a business and why we think building a strong brand is essential.
A brand is more than visuals
When most people hear the word “brand” they think of visual elements associated with a business, like the logo or business cards. Branding is much more than that, though. It’s your overall image, the way your customers feel about your products and services and the voice behind your business.
The difference between a brand and a business is that a brand is an overall experience while a business is just something that markets products or services.
Think about big brands like Nike, Starbucks and Target. All three of these companies have a personality that is reflected in everything they do. You give them money because you connect with what they stand for and like the experience they give you.
When you focus giving people a specific experience, you’ll find customers that connect with you and become your raving fans.
Brands Can Change
Every business changes over time. Personally, we have dramatically changed our business since we started in 2014. The great thing about building a brand is that it allows for change. If you build a rapport with your customers and give them an awesome experience, they will be on board with whatever you do. It doesn’t matter what it is you’re selling because they care about you and like working with you.
You’ll Spend Less Time Selling
A business spends a lot of time selling and trying to market their products and services to everyone, while a brand focuses more on the people that would be genuinely interested in their products. A strong brand knows their audience and how to get in front of them. Selling yourself to people that are actually interested is much more effective than trying to sell to everyone.
You’ll Get Paid More
A brand adds value. Let’s go back to the Starbucks example. There are plenty of places you can get a cup of coffee for cheaper, but people still choose Starbucks because they branded their products to be higher quality and they offer a different experience than other places. At the end of the day, the coffee at Starbucks probably isn’t much different than the coffee somewhere else. The branding is the difference. If you spend time creating a brand that adds value for your customers, you can charge premium prices.
It Allows You To Be Different
Your brand defines what makes your products or services different than others in the same space. There are lots of web designers out there, but what makes us different is that we are a husband and wife team, we cater to only small business owners and we give our clients full control of their website after it’s launched.
When you make your differences a focus, you become more desirable to the people that are looking for what you have to offer. Follow up with an awesome experience and your clients will share with all their friends and family about how great you are.
Over time, things change in business, but if you build a solid brand, you’ll be able to adapt to those change. Defining you voice, values and client experience will help you attract the right customers that will keep coming back for more of what you offer.
