There are a lot of small businesses out there. In fact, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses make up 99.7% of all businesses in the United States! So how do you make sure that your small business stands out from the rest? By implementing some simple branding tips that most small businesses don’t do but should!
In this blog post, we will discuss 10 Things Most Small Businesses Don’t Do, But Should — both online and offline:
- 360 Degree Virtual Tours Inside of Your Business. This may seem like a strange place to start, but when you put yourself in the shoes of your potential customer, you realize that they may want to see what your place looks like inside — especially if they’ll be spending more than a few minutes inside your business for say, getting their hair done or working out. Doing a virtual tour can help them see what your business looks like and save them and you time before they come in and do business with you. While Google did, at one time, have a feature you could use to provide such a tour on your business listing, this is no longer provided. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t create your own and host it on your site!
- Selfie Wall. Everyone is out there doing selfies, right? Why not capitalize on the selfie craze and create a selfie wall for your customers to take photos when they come and go from your business location? But don’t stop there!
- Actively Ask for and Reward Reviews. And if you’re smart, combine the review ask with the selfie wall and create an incentive for them to do it often when they do business with you. Have some kind of board up near your selfie wall giving them step by step instructions. 1. Take a selfie, 2. Post it and tag our business on Instagram and 3. Share a review of your experience on Google/Yelp/Facebook Page and get entered for a chance to win a free or discounted product or service! The caveat here is don’t wait for them to remember to do it. Ask them to do it and make it part of their experience with you!
- Host Community Events. This one may need some brainstorming, but it’s really an age-old concept that the pros have used for generations. Plan an event, invite people to the event, provide food and/or beverages and use that time to help your customers 1. get to know you, 2. talk about pain points people are facing 3. offer your solutions to those pain points and 4. have fun!
- Do Instagram & Facebook Stories & Lives. The #1 area most small businesses and big brick and mortar businesses actively avoid — especially if they are a traditional business — is having an active social media presence. But, and I say this ever-so-gently, welcome to 2022 where most of the world is spending hours upon hours of their day on social media platforms! You have to go where your customers ARE, and that is online. Those who shy away from this assignment will not might get left in the dust.
- Educate via a Blog or Vlog While Using Affiliate Links. Again…I know this is asking a lot of you, but if you aren’t blogging about how your business can serve your ideal client and educating them, how do you think they are going to build rapport with you and trust your expertise? And every industry can do this! If you’re a hair stylist, write a short blog post or film a short vlog about some area of styling your hair or the latest trend. If you are a realtor, write a short blog post educating your potential client about new trends in kitchens or mortgage rates. If you are a mechanic, write a short blog post about the top areas you need to have tuned up before winter on your car. And do it WEEKLY! Maybe you say, “But I can’t come up with that much content!” I call B.S. You talk about it. You do it daily in your work. Just tell the general public about it and build rapport. Yes, it takes work. Yes it takes effort. Yes it takes getting home from a long day and doing something other than zoning out with a cold beer in front of Netflix. But is it worth it? Absolutely!
- Use a QR Code. Boy, didn’t QR codes have a come back over the past 2 years? But it also showed us how they can be used effectively and how our businesses need to pivot and utilize them more often! If you are slow to catch the wave of the QR code and how it can benefit your business, let me break it down. Think of the QR code as a special code that leads your customer directly to your subscribe form, your listing, your booking calendar, your product page, your Facebook or Instagram page, where they can leave a review or wherever you want to take them. If you showcase this on your business card, your store front, your packets and anyplace where you want them to take action. This will give them direction and help them not have to work too hard to do business with you — which will, in turn, help them spend more money with you!
- Regular and Meaningful Posting. This is an area where I see people struggle so much, but it’s such an easy problem to remedy. Simply create a content calendar based on your business’s events, upcoming sales, promotions, products, services and take a few hours at the end of every month to create the content for the following month. You can easily schedule engaging posts that will trigger your audience to click the likes, follow you and comment on what you post rather than simply ignoring it because it means nothing to them. Nothing makes me more frustrated than seeing posts from businesses like, “Happy Fall!” or a cat meme. Stay with who you are (your brand voice) and what you know. We want specific content that is aligned with your niche — not the breakfast you had with your wife at a restaurant on Sunday. If you do want to post that kind of content, do it on your personal Facebook profile — not on Instagram or your business page. Pretty please! (trying to be nice…but firm here.)
- Community Engagement. One of the best things you can do for your business is give your customers or potential customers a place to interact with each other while working toward the same goal. In my humble opinion, every business needs an online or offline community where your people can gather together and you can be their guide. This can be a Facebook group, a Mighty Network Community, a forum on your website or a monthly or quarterly in-person event, but it does need to happen to create camaraderie. It places you in a position of expert and allows you to bring all your people together in one place. Example: Professional Photographer hosts a Facebook group where she goes live weekly and talks about the benefits of having your baby photos professionally done. This may also be where she showcases her latest work, provides affiliate links for baby gear sales, baby clothing shops and diaper companies. Do you see where I’m going with this?! Options are ENDLESS!!
- Email and Text Campaigns. One cannot emphasize this enough, but if you haven’t already done so, BUILD. YOUR. LIST. Don’t wait for Facebook to shut down and lose all your contacts. Don’t wait for Instagram to stop showing your posts to your followers. Build your list now and actively communicate with your list on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Talk to them about a new improvement coming up, something you learned this week, a recipe you just wanted to share, a tip you know they need to hear, a sale you’re promoting, a special session you’re about to open up…you get the gist. But do anything but stay silent. Keep them in the loop, let them know you care and they will reward you with coming back again and again.
These are all great tips, but if you really want your small business to stand out, you need to go above and beyond with your branding efforts.
Does all this take work?
You bet it does.
It’s going to require you to rethink and rework your business hours for sure.
But, I believe, like anything good, the hard work will pay off!
If you are struggling to get people in the door, this will bring you more leads.
If you are struggling to keep people coming back, this will create loyal fans.
If you are struggling to know what your ideal customer wants, this will help you find out and give it to them.
One of the benefits about doing this kind of leg work is, you will learn so much that you will want to share your secrets with other businesses who are limping along.
But the best part of it is, it will help you create a strong brand voice for your small business that will stand out amongst your competitors — especially, if you stick to these principles:
– Be authentic: Don’t try to be something that you’re not. Be genuine and honest in your communications with potential customers.
– Be clear: Make sure that your messaging is clear and concise. Avoid using industry jargon or “fluff” words that don’t add anything of value.
– Be consistent: Consistency is key when it comes to branding. Find your voice, your colors, your fonts and overall design of your brand and then use it in all of your marketing materials — both online and offline.
– Be different: Find a way to stand out from your competition. What makes you unique? Why should potential customers do business with you instead of someone else?
By following these tips, you can start to create a strong brand voice for your small business that will help you stand out from the rest!
What other tips do you have for small businesses when it comes to branding?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!