Small Business Branding
In the past the phrase ’small business branding’ was an idea viewed as something that small business owners did not have the luxury to even think about – there was too much work to be done!
In the past it was also close to impossible for say a local hardware store to compete with the hardware franchisee down the street in terms of marketing and advertising dollars.
The local store will put a $50 ad in the yellow pages and attend local chamber meetings, while the corporate franchisee umbrella spends literally millions of dollars in national radio, TV, newspaper, and magazine ads.
This million plus audience exposure results in conditioning the minds of the viewers and pre-selling customers to choose the brand and store front that they recognize with the buy one get one half off TV promotion (aka the local franchise) Obviously this creates a HUGE financial disadvantage to the mom and pop local store.
The small business owner knows the technical work needed to deliver there product or service but more often than not they know close to nothing about there stores USP which is marketing 101, how to craft an offer which is advertising 101, and how to how to position there overall look and feel which is branding 101.
9 out of 10 times the business owner either doesn’t want to learn these essential skills or they don’t see the need to pay for marketing, or they simply don’t know who to get advice from concerning marketing.
Fortunately for the internet the local business now has a chance at small business branding. Instead of selling to the just the customer base in there neighborhood; they now have access to 10 times that many customers online where there the cash register rings at 2am without the small business owner needing to be there to take the order.
The internet has evolved so much that now the local hardware store has the ability to target local customers through a new avenues of communication that were not available to the extent that it is now even just a few years ago.
The beauty of the moving business trends of today is that people truly WANT the small, mom and pop, neighborhood business feeling back! People like knowing YOU the owner(s), people like to know about your family, kids, grandkids, and pets.
People like to be treated like people, like a neighbor, like there business matters.
Customers are realizing that while it may take a little longer for there purchases to be rung up because front desk employee Joanne is telling her customer Jessica of 2 years how much she loves her knew earrings. Or, the store isn’t open past 5pm because the owners believe there employees need time for themselves, there own families and there other hobbies outside of work.
A large majority of people are choosing to NOT be just a number to be monetized to the highest possible amount any longer. This is good news for the faithful, personable local small business that is ready to give 5 star one on one service to each and every customer that walks through there doors.
