Smart Branding for the Smaller Enterprise

What's a smart, affordable branding strategy for the smaller enterprise?

Think Small Before Thinking Big. For the larger company, branding is the process by which that business, or its products (or both), become a household word. For the smaller company, it is a matter of building a brand one client at a time.

• Become First-in-Mind for one client or customer, then two, then more. By getting one powerful client (who thinks you're the world's best) in your stable, you can build on that strong foundation.
• Get one or more testimonials. Document your clients' satisfaction. Get photos and personal statements about how important you are to them.
• Create a small brochure that tells how you fulfilled these clients' needs.
• Study the characteristics of your satisfied clients and identify other prospects just like them. Those should become your core target market.
• Present your story to that market with phone calls, mailers, face-to-face meetings.

Build Your Brand by Building Your Relationships. Great relationships are the foundation for doing business at the smaller enterprise level. With that in mind, make every part of your clients' buying experiences outstanding and memorable. Think about improving every contact point in your client's interaction with you and your business. How can you make every part of their experience better at each "touch point?" When every person in your client's organization knows who you are and what you do for their business, you have built a strong brand.

Tell Your Story To The Local Business Press or Online News. So many stories are written from the point of view of the seller. Instead, take your client's point of view, and tell about how their needs are being met. Relate how they have grown, prospered and benefited by using you as a key source of supply. Use testimonials, actual stories and any other related points of interest. Good stories get into print.

One happy client telling their story about the outstanding way you have filled their needs will lead to many clients bragging about you. Start small, and let outstanding results do the talking. You will build an incredible brand one client at a time.