In business, branding is very important to maintain and strengthen your brand so that it can attract the attention of potential customers to become regular customers. For MSME entrepreneurs, branding is also important even though the way to do it is definitely different from large-scale businesses.
No matter the size of the business, a strong brand helps attract customers, build trust and increase revenue. However, you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact because even inexpensive strategies can help your business stand out.
The following are several ways that MSME entrepreneurs can do branding.
Branding Tips that MSMEs Can Do
1. First, Create a Brand Identity
Your business brand identity should be more than just a stylish logo. This is an important part of making your brand look, feel, and speak to customers. This impacts the entire customer experience which ultimately impacts how others view your credibility and business.
Here’s how to get the right brand identity for your business.
Research, Research, and Research
You can’t create a brand identity that connects with customers if you don’t understand them from the start. So, first take the time to really study your intended primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences.
Once you have a deep understanding of your customers, move on to competitive research. How do other businesses similar to yours position themselves in terms of visual elements, personality, and theme?
Lastly, don’t forget to interview the people closest to your brand at the moment, namely the people who work with you because they have an important point of view on how your business should be portrayed.
Create Brand Identity
Now it’s time to translate all the research results into visual form. Here are some things you must determine:
- Logos
- Color palette
- Typography
- Iconography
- Photography and graphics for marketing campaigns
When building a brand identity, think about the 3Cs of branding, namely:
- Clarity Create a logo that sends a clear message to customers. If they have to think hard to interpret the identity you created, it means your brand is not clear enough.
- Consistency Your logo must be the same in all media. Why? Because brand consistency depicts self-confidence and discipline.
- Commitment Don’t be discouraged if people don’t immediately recognize your brand. Don’t forget that great branding takes time.
Determine the Right Story for MSME Business Branding
Strengthen brand identity with stories. This doesn’t have to be a story about how the brand was created, although it should still have a component of why you started the business.
The goal of creating a brand story should answer the following questions:
- What does your business believe in?
- What problem does your product or service solve?
- How does your business solve this problem?
- Where is your business headed?
Repeat and Improve
It doesn’t matter if the brand identity changes over time. Instead, you have to continue to analyze and improve it based on feedback from customers. Test new strategies and tactics to see what works best.
For example, you can test two different taglines to see which story resonates best with customers.
2. Become an expert in the field of content marketing
MSME businesses certainly don’t have a large marketing budget. Fortunately, there is an affordable way to get your brand known and in front of the right people, namely with content marketing.
Even on a limited budget, you can create live blog posts, videos, or guides that answer your audience’s questions and offer real value to your target customers. This will make them trust (and choose) your brand.
For example, if you own a bakery and realize that many people are looking for tips on making bread, create a guide or how-to video. This content provides value and when those same customers decide to buy bread instead of making it themselves, they will come to you.
3. Look for Partnership Opportunities for MSME Business Branding
Consumers like to buy from brands they trust. However, if you are a new business, building trust can take time. The best way to speed up the process is to establish partnerships with brands that potential customers already trust and buy.
If customers are introduced to your business by a brand they already know and trust, they are more likely to trust you. The key is to find like-minded small businesses with a similar, but not competitive, audience.
For example, you can partner with complementary businesses, such as a bakery and a coffee shop, to host an event. Apart from that, you can also hold a giveaway together or create collaborative content on social media.
Also read: 7 Ways to Build Networking, Important Steps in Developing a Business!
4. Build a Community, Both Online and Offline
Great branding is about the connections it creates, including for MSMEs. This is because customers want to engage with brands that feel authentic, easy to understand and human, not just businesses trying to make a sale.
The best way to do it? Build a community around your brand. Komunitas ini akan memberi jalur komunikasi langsung dengan pelanggan dan membuat mereka merasa menjadi bagian dari sesuatu yang lebih besar.
You don’t need a big marketing budget to build a community, just consistency, engagement, and a little creativity. The easiest way is to ask questions, reply to comments, and engage followers on social media. The more often you interact with your audience, the stronger your community will be.
Meanwhile, for offline interactions, you can add handwritten notes to each product the customer buys. A simple caption like “Thank you for shopping with us!” handwritten ones will make customers feel appreciated.
Also read: Difference between online and offline networking, which one is better to choose?
Apart from building a community with customers, you should also have a business community so that you have the right networking or network that can help your business grow and develop. One of the best is LabamuHub from Labamu.
Built to build connections and collaborate with the aim of #GrowTogether, LabamuHub is here as a one-stop solution to help you develop your business and go digital. Moreover, there is a Business Expansion and Export program here, which can help you open wider business opportunities to international markets.
So, apart from making sure you have done the right branding for your MSME business, also take the time to join LabamuHub from Labamu so you can exchange ideas with fellow business people, both from one and different industries.
