Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

Good point. A small business without a brand is just a "me too" operation. I often talked about the four coffee shops in my neighborhood all within walking distance of one another. Each has a brand, a special identity--(a) gay / lesbian / alternative, (b) coffee / bread / sandwiches (mass marketer), (c) coffee / gelato / upscale sandwiches (hip crowd), (d) the mommy coffeehouse with play area for kids.

Small businesses don't realize that everything they do reflects their brand. They aren't going to have a brand like Coke or Nike have brands, but any contact point with their customers will reflect an image, and add up to the "brand" of the company. Written, by phone, in person, on social media or otherwise, when a small business communicates and interacts with customers and prospects, they will reflect a brand. They need to decide what they want to reflect and be smart about trying to make it consistent.

New blog post: Do Small Businesses Really Have a Brand? http://tinyurl.com/dljveg

RT @ducttape: New blog post: Do Small Businesses Really Have a Brand? http://tinyurl.com/dljveg

RT @ducttape: New blog post: Do Small Businesses Really Have a Brand? http://tinyurl.com/dljveg

RT @ducttape New blog post: Do Small Businesses Really Have a Brand? http://tinyurl.com/dljveg

rt @ducttape New blog post: Do Small Businesses Really Have a Brand? http://tinyurl.com/dljveg

RT @ducttape: New blog post: Do Small Businesses Really Have a Brand? http://tinyurl.com/dljveg

RT @tweetmeme http://tinyurl.com/dljveg Cool webcast upcoming from DuctTape Marketing on branding ! Check it out, I Just registered!

I think much too much is made over small business branding...Reminds me of a cow with a burn mark on its butt. Let me explain a little: Last spring I attended a seminar on marketing. The audience was interested in getting more business. (Because they were and have gone broke.) The three panelists on the platform were all from large companies. It seemed like every question from the audience was answered with some mumbo-jumbo about branding. IMO: Marketing starts with having a product that folks want to buy...Do good and talk about it. Create a product that meets a need.

RT @tweetmeme http://tinyurl.com/dljveg Small biz - you have a brand! It's how you communicate it
that makes all the difference.

RT: RT @tweetmeme http://tinyurl.com/dljveg Small biz - you have a brand! It's how you communicate it that ma.. http://tinyurl.com/bo5xrf

@Chuck - I totally agree - small businesses do have a brand and do need to understand that in the context of marketing, but we're talking about a totally different world here - I get that - we will cut through the mumbo jumbo - wish I would have been at the meeting your talked about, I would have let them have it!

At my agency, we have so many small business owners call us about helping them "stand out" from the competition.
After learning about their uniqueness, we go to work and develop three brand concepts for them. One is usually a "stand out from the crowd" one, another more conservative, and the last is similar to what they've always had. What do they select? The one that is just a little different than their current brand.
Recently though, working on a website for a dry cleaner. She said: "Give me something unique, that is me". We did, and the result is: http://www.apthorpcleaners.com
It is an interactive site, it has her unique brand and has been building her business, while she moves to a new storefront in New York. People are coming to the website, and ordering Pick ups...and she's doing great.
Why? Because she had the courage to go with something new and unique.

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I think branding is too often looked at from just one angle: physicality. We look at the logo or the uniform or the store and assume that's what makes a brand. The part that is often overlooked is that the brand is carried all the way through an organization. From the way you answer the phone, to your follow-up, to your customer service; it's all part of the brand. And when looked at from that angle, of course small businesses have a "brand"... without it there would be nothing but a product.

Recently I received a gift from Tiffany's. It was a necklace and the chain broke. So, when I was in New York (in the freezing cold), I took a cab and went to the store to have them fix it.
Now I've been a customer there for years, and have bought many clients' gifts there and always know about their great brand consistency in service.
I took the necklace to the counter, and spent about a half hour as they assessed the damage, and then told me it would cost over $100. to fix it. I told them I'd been buying things there for years, and damages were always taken care of, without questions.
The lady told me that their policy changed (in low end jewelry).
I tried the manager and no luck. So, I left the store that spends millions of dollars on their great brand and will never shop there again. End of story.
Brands are not logos, pretty colors, or great commercials...they resonate in everything the company does.

Branding for Small Businesses is easier and quicker than for global brands. The brand elements for a small business (dentist, contractor, gardener, auto repair shop) are not typically a pre-defined in rank order by category as may be found in national or global brands.
Hence the development of brand value for small businesses has two huge advantages over larger businesses: 1). No pre-existing negative or limiting associations, and 2). Short brand acceptance timeframe.
Typically brand evaluation takes place between the time a buyer considers a purchase and the time of actual purchase. Most consumers typically shop up to three vendors of a new small business product or service. So the opportunity is to project an effective brand that will often face off against fewer than three competitors during the buyer’s assessment process.
Creating a distinctive and focused value proposition while carefully addressing ancillary elements in the brand’s positioning can stand apart and achieve success. Elements to consider can be everything from an advertisement, to business cards, to client testimonials on the wall, to the dress and speaking on behalf of the business. It all needs to tie into a congruent message to stand apart from look-alike competitors.
Tom Irwin
GetMorBiz.com

nice post