Do SMEs need a brand?
8th August 2009
A brand isn’t a logo, it’s not a colour scheme and it’s not a website. A brand is what a company stands for, it’s a promise customers believe in.
A brand needs to portray your company vision, mission, values and key messages. It needs to position and differentiate your company in the marketplace and it needs to appeal to your target market.
A brand is how a company is perceived by its customers; it portrays what you offer and why it’s different and better. It sets out the unique benefits a customer can rely on and count on and what promises you make to your staff, customers and suppliers. It is everything the public sees and believes about your company.
So, do SMEs need a brand?
News flash – you have a brand already (you may just have not given it any thought). If You’re great at what you do but you have a logo that was made in 5 minutes on Microsoft Word, a website that looks like it was made by a 12 year old and a colour palette that doesn’t match your core values then You’re not portraying who your company really is.
Through ensuring the graphical elements of your brand match your values, your positioning and your target market’s expectations you can grow your brand. Through having a promise and a key marketing message and ensuring everyone in the company ‘lives the brand’ you can grow your reputation.
Take Fairy Liquid for example. There are many types of washing up liquid but for many years Fairy Liquid has plugged the key message that its washing up liquid lasts longer. That is the promise it has been built on and it has made millions from it.
So, do SMEs need a brand? You have one already. Is it working for you though?
