2022 is right around the corner, and now, more than ever, we see businesses born and die at lightning speed.

Every bold teenager with a new Instagram account can hit six figures in less than a year.

On the other hand, we see businesses with 50+ years of history struggling to survive.

Why does that happen?

Among other reasons, here’s something that might make a huge difference: good or bad branding.

Good branding is the secret weapon that new businesses and start-ups can use to become successful in their niche. So, let’s see what branding is and how you can use it for your small business.

What Does Branding Mean?

Branding isn’t just your website, your logo or your presence on social media. Branding is what someone thinks about when they hear your name or the name of your business.

Imagine you are walking down the street asking people:

“Hey, what do you think about (_____________)” (Fill the blank with your company’s name)

What do you think they’ll say? Their first answer will be the reflection of your brand.

Take McDonald’s.

“What comes to your mind when you think about McDonald’s?”

You might think of that time with your family. You were late for the new movie at the theatre so you were looking for a fast alternative for dinner.

From that time on, Mc Donald’s means family, special moments, and a fast and easy solution for dinner. You can do this game with a load of other famous brands and companies.

As you can see, branding is all about pouring emotions and feelings into your products or services.

Your website, logo and creative design are the necessary branding tools to achieve that goal.

Do You Really Need Branding?

As we said earlier, it’s almost 2022. People are now looking for authentic relationships with brands.

Sure, you still need promotions and campaigns to get in touch with new customers, but genuineness and empathy are now a mandatory part of them.

If you can’t touch their feelings and way of living, you waste your best chance to earn new loyal customers and make money.

Remember, branding is also fundamental for standing out from the competition.

In a world with so much offer, people no longer need a unique message; they need unique messengers.

How Much Does Branding Cost?

Branding includes various components: brand identity, brand positioning, website design, brand voice, content marketing, logo design.

But don’t let these terms scare you. Improving even one of them can have a significant impact on your entire brand.

To find what your business needs, you have to make deep analysis, asking yourself these questions:

• Who do I want to send my message to?
• Who is my ideal customer?
• What are the untapped spots in my market that I can fill with my offer?

The cost of branding depends on what your brand needs to improve right now. The better you analyze your niche, the more real, practical and cheaper your branding strategy will be.

Many companies and brands waste thousands and thousands of dollars in many branding strategies without realizing that their message is either wrong or sent to the wrong audience.

Conclusions

As you can see, creating the right branding strategy implies a lot of effort to keep the message consistent and effective with your audience across all the channels.

Small business owners often have millions of things to worry about and may not find time to develop a strong branding strategy.

A strategist or an agency can help you develop the right one, and that’s what we do at www.brandedagency.com.

For inspiration, you can also check out what we did to help other businesses in your niche to stand out in our case study session.