Creating a brand is one of the most important aspects of any business. However, branding is a do-or-die task for small businesses. Without a defining brand for your organization, you lack the connecting factor between your business, employees and consumers. While many people claim to have their own effective branding tips for fellow small businesses, there are a few tried-and-true ways to build a brand:

Understand WHY You Need It: Branding that is properly executed bridges the gap between the business and their customers. Your organization becomes familiar and comfortable to them. Seeing a commercial for a cereal brand you enjoyed eating as a child and feeling nostalgic is an example of great branding. It remains consistent over time and speaks to the masses. It’s a way for consumers to identify and differentiate your organization.

Find Your Voice and Stick With It: When it comes to building a brand identity online, it’s important to follow a distinct voice. Finding the voice for your business is crucial. This voice will represent your business throughout its tenure. It will be the differentiating factor between you and competitors. If you find humor to fit your business and brand, be sure to maintain a humorous tone and voice throughout social media profiles and all advertising platforms. Humor is an effective tone because it intrigues the consumer. Rather than posting industry-specific content everyday, change it up. Interesting content is one of the top three reasons consumers follow brands on social media platforms. A recent survey found that more than half of respondents interact with their favorite businesses via social media. This is a great way to build trust.

Be Creative and Bold: A great branding technique is called ‘sensory branding.’ It’s a great way to make store and window displays stand out. The objective is to stimulate multiple senses of the consumer. Using lights in addition to sounds is an effective way to stick out to consumers. You want to give potential customers a reason to remember you.

Building an effective brand image can mean the difference between profit and bankruptcy for businesses.

Do you have branding tips of your own? Do you have branding tips for what businesses shouldn’t do? Sound off in the comments below!