Here’s how you can build your brand, increase revenue and have more people like your business  

Let’s get this answered first: if business is all about purchase and sales, why do we need a brand?

The answer is easy: your customers, whether enterprises or end-users, have hundreds of businesses to choose from. Whether they need a piece of chocolate or a high-value gadget, customers have the luxury of picking something suitable to their requirement. And they have no compulsion to buy just one product or go to one store. 

How do you make them come back to your shop or product/service? 

This is where brand is coming. In old days, people referred and rated purchase experiences by word of mouth. Our parents might visit a relative and talk about where they brought their clothes and jewelry from. And, either they liked what they heard or someone else had already recommended the same shop, our relatives were convinced. They would have gone to the same shop and told the shop owner about our parents and others who rated the business high.

The shop owner may choose to create a small logo or a symbol. She may have painted the shop’s name in a certain way or wrote the letters like cartoon characters. Whatever it is, the shop realizes that it needs to distinguish itself from the rest of the competition by putting up a special symbol, logo, or a name.

In short, having a brand has these benefits

• Instant identification of your business
• Repeated purchase       
• Customers referring and recommending your business to others, thereby bringing more sales/revenue·       
• Consistent engagement with customers, which will allow you to understand if they like new products or changes in the way you represent your brand -ultimately helping them stay loyal·       
• Attracting more and more customers through powerful brand messaging

I’m a small business. Do I need branding?  

Yes, you definitely need branding. Experts agree that businesses that want to exist for a long time need branding.  

Even if you are one of those seasonal traders who sell crackers during Diwali and close down the rest of the year, you need some kind of method to tell your customers that you will be open from a certain day and date. Also, don’t you like your customers to recognize that you only sell high quality crackers -which is your speciality?  

Also, please understand that brand is not the same as logo or tagline. You communicate your brand through logo and tagline. The real brand is what author and branding expert Simon Middleton mentioned in his book “Build A Brand In 30 Days”:  “Your brand is everything that your customers and prospective customers think, feel, say, hear, read, watch, imagine, suspect and even hope about your product, service or organization.” 

Can I build my own brand?  

As Simon’s book suggests, you can build a brand by yourself. The first thing you need to decide is what do you want people to think about your product/service/business?  

Of course, you don’t want people to think you are polluting the environment or poisoning the minds of youngsters with toxic content. Nothing negative.  

These are the four important considerations in building your brand. I’m calling it the four E’s: Engage, educate, empower, and empathize.  

Let’s explain the four.  

Engage  

Without constantly communicating with your brand the customer won’t open his wallet (physical or digital) to put his money on your products or business. You need to tell him: ·       

• You still represent everything he cares about·       

• You are keeping your promise -cheap products, heavy discounts, high quality etc.

• You are still likeable -just like the film hero whose movies your customer watches all the time (first day first show)

Consistent engagement efforts will also bring new customers and anyone who wants to connect with your brand for business opportunities.  

Educate  

You understand this better especially if you are in the electronics, food or home appliances business. It’s not just about selling the new non-stick dawa or asking people to “eat millets” , but telling them what kind of tasty dishes they can prepare using your products.  

You educate your customers because:  ·       

• You want to make them think they are smarter and they take smart decisions by buying your products·       

• You give them lots of materials so that they can convince their next-door neighbour or relative to buy your product and not someone else’s.

• You want customers and even general public to understand that you are transparent, honest and do business for their benefit -yes, you make money, but you want them to understand that it’s a win-win situation for you and them.

Empower  

People like you and respect your brand if they understand that your purpose is not just making money but to change their lives.  ·       

• If you sell beds, you want them to understand that your product is giving them the ability to rest and get fresh for tomorrow’s challenge. ·       

• If you sell motorbikes, you want them to understand that they have the power to commute at the time they choose. Also, you make Electrical Vehicles to keep the air clean.

Every product or service is therefore a way of empowering people in general, not just your target customer. The idea is: you do good to people, make them efficient, knowledgeable and powerful, they will naturally come to you to buy your product or buy from your shop.  ·       

Empathize

Sympathy is to feel sorry, but empathy is to understand.  

You can’t serve people without understanding what gives them pleasure or pain. In fact, without understanding, you will end up giving pleasure to someone in pain or pain to someone wanting pleasure.  

Building a brand is to ask yourself if you are solving the most important problem and communicate it to the general public.  

If you sell bed, tell them how much sleeplessness can hurt their productivity and health. Give them an extra rug or blanket to put on their guests or on their pets.  

People love you when you care about them  

If you are a smart businessman, you won’t miss the chance to tell them that you care and you are here to solve their problem. That will help your brand.  

Try these ideas  

Obviously, we are thankful to you for reading this, but we do what we preach: we want you to be engaged, educated, empowered and we certainly want to tell you that we care about your business.

So, if you want to help us, try all the ideas we have mentioned in this blog post.  ·       

• Find out how you want to engage your customers. What works for you? Facebook posts, Linkedin articles, Instagram pictures or YouTube videos/podcasts? Make your choice of engagement.

• Write blog posts to educate your customers so that your customers know what you do and how you do it. They will be happy to share it with their next-door neighbour, friends or family. ·       

• Give them additional tips  and tricks on how to use your products more effectively so that they are empowered. ·       

• And, make them understand you care by sending them birthday cards, a rose flower or a cake (depending on your convenience). Give them more content on how they can get out of pain and double their pleasure. Put yourself in their shoes –which is the true meaning of empathizing.

Don’t forget to share or like if you enjoyed this content. Recommend us to your family and friends…and the next-door neighbour, of course.