Branding is like a friendly competition. Whoever can do it bigger, better, or more unique is the one who will stand out most amongst their competitors. Obviously, you want that to be you. Standing out means more sales, more repeat customers, and generally more exposure for your business. How can you successfully achieve this? By thinking well outside of the box. These three unique branding ideas for small businesses is a very good place to start.
Branding Idea #1: Dress Up
Many well known businesses have actually branded themselves by playing dress up. Examples include Ronald McDonald (McDonald’s), The King (Burger King), and the smiling face (Wal Mart). Create a character relevant to your business, and use them to form a strong, lasting brand for your company. This works best with any company centered around children’s products or services, but a little bit of imagination can make it work for adults too. You may be thinking that created a character for your company is expensive, but the truth is that its incredibly cheap, simple, and effective. Characters can be created out of real people wearing costumes, graphic design, or even sketches.
Why It Works:
- Characters offer an active visual for people to remember you by
- Few small companies think that “playing dress up” is a good way to brand their company
- There are countless possibilities, so no two characters are ever exactly the same
Branding Idea #2: Sing
You know those commercial jingles that get stuck in your head? You can’t get them out for days, and you remember the company those jingles are for because of it. Small businesses often fail to realize they can utilize this technique as well – even if they don’t have the available funds for commercials. Create a catchy jingle and use it to its fullest potential. Where can you use this jingle you’ve created if you can’t afford commercials? How about on YouTube, your website, seminars, and anywhere else where sound is used? Yes, anywhere that sound is used, which is pretty much everywhere.
Why it Works:
- Songs and jingles are incredibly catchy, so they stick in your customer’s minds
- Sound can be utilized virtually everywhere
- Many small businesses fail to recognize their ability to utilize songs and jingles
Branding Idea #3: Be An Advocate
One way to successfully brand your business in a way that will connect with your target audience on a deeper level is to become an advocate for something. Think about something you are passionate about, or something that is relevant to your business niche. Once you know what it is you want to support, find a charity of some kind or (if applicable) start up one of your own. Your customers like to see that you care about something other than your bottom line, and giving back to the community is the best way you can do that. You could support education, cancer, diabetes, the arts, human rights, the environment, the fight to end poverty, a local or national hospital, adoption/fostering, etc.
Why It Works:
- Your customers like to see you giving back to the community in some form
- Being an advocate allows your customers to connect with you on a deeper level
- People are more likely to shop at your store if they think it helps towards a good cause
Incorporating one or all three of these unique ideas into your company’s branding can help to set you apart from the competition. This is vital to your campaign’s success because branding is all about remembrance, and remembrance is all about being different. Set yourself apart, and reap the benefits of successful branding.