Brand building best practices
Make people remember
Nkgabiseng Motau has co-founded her own business, Think Creative Africa and has seven years of experience with marketing and branding. Her job and her passion for 'making people remember' makes her a valuable educator on what it takes to build your own small business brand and grow.
Why build a strong brand?
Human beings are connected by stories. Brands can add incredible value to a business because people are loyal to and have emotional connections with them. There are often multiple different businesses offering the same products and services. People don't have a connection with what they buy, but with who they buy from. No brand = no differentiation and no long-term profitability. We often forget that the most basic and key way to build a relationship with our customers is buy creating a strong brand that they can rely on for consistent good quality service and products.
What does it take to build a strong brand?
When people are loyal to brands, they shop with little resistance because the decision is already made for them. Branding is about building trust no matter the size of your business. You need to give customers something to get familiar with; a logo, a colour, or a message that they can keep in their minds and know that 'when I buy this product or service, I will get what I expect and be satisfied'.
Building a strong brand is about finding a home for your product or service in the hearts and minds of consumers and this can be very difficult to do – especially when you are running a small business. People have a lot on their minds and are slow to open their hearts.
The cheat sheet
Logo: Invest in a great logo and use it consistently.
It's worth investing time in a good logo. Have a look at Squarespace, where you can type in your company name and slogan and select from a range of symbols or try out Canva get inspiration from a variety of templates.
Pro tip: Keep in mind that your logo has to be recognisable at multiple sizes - like on a big billboard (soon ;)) and on an Instagram profile, for example.
Colours: Use your colours everywhere! You want people to be calling you 'that red brand' or 'that green brand'.
Slogan: Make it short and make it sticky.
Tone and personality: How does your brand show up? Is it funny, bold, cheeky, uplifting, old-school and so on.
Remember to choose a tone and personality that is true to yourself and your business. Consistency is key!
To find out more about how to build your brand, watch on!
