While most small businesses are already defining their brand identity (creating strong logos, maintaining consistent colors and fonts, developing a brand voice, offering excellent customer service, and leveraging customer testimonials)—there are additional, often overlooked strategies that can take your branding to the next level. Here are AnswerAmerica’s small business branding tips to help you truly stand out:
1. Develop a Brand Story
Craft a compelling narrative that tells the story of your brand’s origins, mission, and journey.
Share your brand story on your website, in marketing materials, and during customer interactions. Use it to create a deeper emotional connection with your audience. Ever watch the show Shark Tank? Each episode is a lesson in how to successfully (or unsuccessfully) leverage your story to stand out and express value. Make sure every member of your team and any vendors you work with know your brand story by heart!
2. Personalize Customer Interactions
Personalization can significantly enhance customer experience and loyalty.
Use customer data to tailor communications and offers. Address customers by their names, recommend products based on past purchases, and send personalized thank-you notes. And while it’s tempting to brand or trademark customer service touches like how Chick-fil-a says, “my pleasure” in place of thank you, it’s more essential that you leverage customer preferences to treat customers as individuals who appreciate authenticity. It’s difficult (actually impossible) to script, so remember starting with small touches is the way to go as you figure out your technologies and training best practices to make every touch point resonate.
3. Leverage Packaging as a Branding Tool
Thoughtfully designed packaging can leave a lasting impression and reinforce your brand identity. Don’t have packaging? How about applying your brand to your napkins, invoices, or emails…
There are endless opportunities to surprise and delight your customers when you make branding a priority. Invest in custom packaging that reflects your brand’s personality. Consider adding elements like branded tissue paper, thank-you cards, or unique box designs. And if your business has more of a virtual or ambient experience of any form – remember that every element of your unique experience is an opportunity for the brand. In the book The Experience Maker, author Dan Gingiss shares stories about companies that leverage handwritten signs, email confidentiality notices, employee uniforms, and more to deliver memorable interactions that articulate brand and customer-centrism.
4. Create Branded Experiences
Immersive, branded experiences can make a memorable impact on customers.
Host events, workshops, or pop-up shops that embody your brand. Ensure every touchpoint, from decor to interactions, is consistent with your brand identity. Or better than alignment – do something that dazzles your customers. Remember when Taco Bell was consistently in the news for their fine dining menu or their high-end, beautifully appointed restaurants? https://www.today.com/food/nicest-taco-bell-world-blowing-tiktok-t198843 The biggest brands on earth are trying to personalize every touch point and the experience of walking into their environment to be “sharable”. This is an area where small businesses can go hard and compete.
5. Engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Aligning your brand with social or environmental causes can enhance your reputation and appeal.
Identify causes that resonate with your brand values and actively support them. Communicate your efforts through your marketing channels. And don’t overthink it. A cause you care about doesn’t have to be social, political, environmentally focused–or even core to your brand. Simple things like sponsoring community sports or a high school play demonstrate an interest in the youth of your community. If you’re a local business, local causes may be a rewarding way you could direct your efforts. If you’re an HVAC business, maybe you team up with a senior center to help elderly or infirmed program participants change out their filters ahead of the summer or winter seasons. If you own a salon, maybe you can team up with a family crisis center and make sure that kids in the program have nice haircuts before the new school year starts. And remember, not everything has to be a photo opp…
6. Use Employee Advocacy
Your employees can be powerful brand ambassadors.
Your employees should be your biggest fans. Create a culture where your team feels encouraged to share their positive experiences and brand-related content on social media. Provide branded materials and incentives to support their advocacy. Outfit your team in company swag they would be proud to rep. You know what industry does this better than any other? Fashion. Oh – and craft beer. Wait – also pet adoption agencies. Obviously the list goes on. If what you do might be listed under a person’s interests or passions on any social media platform, seek these people out, give them a feeling of shared ownership/impact, and watch how your customers respond.
7. Optimize Your Online Presence Beyond Your Website
Consistent branding across all online platforms increases brand recognition.
Ensure your brand is consistently represented on all online profiles, including business directories, review sites, and third-party platforms. Keep the information updated and engage with customer feedback. And please don’t assume “consistency” means you need to invest in high-end photography or video production to tell your story. Social media and authenticity don’t require all that polish. Encourage your customers to tag your business and watch what happens. When Brian Matson from TwoSix Digital began directing state tourism bureaus to focus their energy on promoting hashtags and crowdsourcing of content, the tourism state revenue results spoke for themselves. But what was better, brand-centered content (freely promoted by visitors!) became the core marketing ballast across all social platforms. Should have underlined the word free.
8. Implement Branded Customer Touchpoints
Small, branded touches can enhance customer experience and reinforce your brand.
Use branded email signatures, voicemail messages, and follow-up emails. But don’t stop there… What about the doormat when a customer enters your business? The art your select for the walls. I was given a branded bottle of water at my financial planner’s office lol. Include your logo and brand colors in every customer communication. Like everything else, small details matter and you don’t have to go with a full-on Magenta assault to make an impact like T-Mobile did lol. This article goes back a few years, but former CEO John Legere swapped out his FULL wardrobe for T-Mobile’s signature color. Could have used a different, more recent article here but I just loved this tile too much: So. Much. Magenta. It made an impact bc I’m still thinking about it!
9. Focus on Internal Branding
A strong internal brand (aka culture) ensures employees embody your brand values.
Communicate your brand values and mission to your team regularly. Use branded materials in your office and provide training on how to represent the brand consistently. This can be as simple as training everyone in your company on your spoken and written tone of voice for customer interactions. Or making sure that your core values include internal rules of engagement for conflict resolution (you never have conflict or friction at the office, right?). Here’s a tip – find a way to connect your culture and core values in your office environment. Incorporate your core values internally in every day communications. Decorate your offices with affirmations of your customer commitments. Celebrate landmark events and shared team victories by capturing the moment with photography and posting them in frames in shared spaces. This is a process that takes thought, care, and regular updates to make it really work. We’re not saying every business needs to be able to recite mantras like a cult, but everyone should be pulling in the same direction, using shared language, and aligning their decisions with core value and a clear brand understanding to make the best possible decisions for the business. Make it fun and keep it simple for the best results! This might be the most challenging recommendation on the list, but internal branding and investment in company culture leads to employee buy-in and long-term rewards. If you don’t already have core values to help drive your business growth and decisions, business coaches like Align5 help brands articulate their culture simply which is the foundation for growth and success.
Monitor and Adapt Your Brand Strategy
Regularly reviewing and adapting your brand strategy ensures it remains relevant and effective. Conduct brand audits to assess your brand’s performance. Survey your customers (or your prospective customers) through email surveys, focus groups or market research. Gather feedback from customers and employees, and be willing to make adjustments based on insights.
By incorporating these often overlooked branding strategies, your small business can create a deeper, more impactful brand presence that goes beyond the basics. Incorporating any of these tips will help you connect more meaningfully with your audience, foster loyalty, and differentiate your business in a competitive market.
Take Action with AnswerAmerica
Looking for a first step towards hypergrowth? Start with a professional 24/7, affordable, pay-as-you-go answering service through AnswerAmerica or AnswerCanada. Our professional receptionists will take care of your customers when you aren’t available to answer your business phone extending your brand and capturing messages around the clock so you never miss an opportunity to serve your customers. Get started in minutes through our simple, self-guided setup process and let us show you how you can deliver simple, branded experiences with each and every call.
In the US – check us out and sign up now at answeramerica.com or call 800-313-2307 for more information.
And if you’re in Canada, visit answercanada.ca or call 855-977-1805.
