You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

How can Small Businesses Build Their Brands : #5 Steps to Follow Most of the Indian SMEs sometimes use their traditional trends to build their brands with the less of understanding between marketing their brand and building the brand's image.

By Komal Nathani

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Pixabay

Brand building exercise does not just limit to the multinational conglomerates or big brands in the market. From startups to small scale enterprises, irrespective of the size and nature of business operations, any and every company can market its idea in today's era. As building a brands is an expensive affair, therefore when it comes to small and medium sized businesses, the SMEs often face difficulties in marketing their brand image due to the low funds budget and investment issues.

Most of the Indian SMEs sometimes use their traditional trends to build their brands with the less of understanding between marketing their brand and building the brand's image. Some likely tricks they follow are – expansion in product range, discounting schemes on products or again some usual sales enhancement strategies. Building a brand is an art that can be defined as how the company can build its brand image focusing on how consumers and future clients can perceive the offered product in huge market.

Follow the 5-step guide to turnaround you brand image from a smaller one to a bigger player in market.

1. Begin with Company's Stationary

To begin with, the first and foremost step towards developing a brand image should be started with the company's stationary like pens, business cards, office bags, website, products' taglines etc. This is how the small business companies can maintain their brand value, which is one of the crucial parts of brand building exercise. Some of the popular branding experts like Ed Roch advise, SMEs to design a meaningful yet a creative logo of the name of the brand along with a catchy tagline that sums up the motive of the brand. This is a cost effective way to build promotes the brand etiquette and professionalism to your business. Substantially, the brand value development should be the priority of an SME, which most of them negate implementing it.

2. Advanced Communication

Strong communication is reckoned to be one of the crucial assets of an organization. A team with strong communication skills can be the game-changer for company. Whether it's about ramping up the sales figures or about increasing the brand awareness through an aggressive corporate communications, smart communications will help in driving the forces behind the broader customer base. Even in teams like business development and business exchange in companies, the quality pitch in presentations can attract large number of investors in the pool of investing groups and venture capitalists.

3. Maintain productivity of Employees

The real asset of an organization is its human resources that play an intrinsic role to market the credentials of brand. With respect to increasing the brand value, the internal brand management is an important point to focus on when it comes to brand building exercise. It is the responsibility of the company's owners to maintain the consistent productivity of an employee. If employees worked without any disturbance for five hours, their output will double and they will have enough time for their family too. This way the employees will remain constructive and consistent in their work with targets. A good internal brand management will encourage the sales and hence, with the skilled employee rate, the brand image will build on its own.

4. Social Media- an extensive tool

A stopover where one can gain the massive attraction of consumers and prospective customers in the present information age is undeniably the social media. An activeness of brand on social media can raise an unpredictable amount of attention in the shortest span of time. The persistent presence of brand on social media and the updated developments about the company's work can enlarge the consumer base, which could even touch the global consumer segment also. Secondly, the cross communication is what helps customers understanding the brand in a better way, for which certainly the social media is a must-use tool by small biz brands.

5. Maintain brand consistency

From the global giants like Coca-Cola to a home-grown brand entering international markets -Patanjali, every big or small player maintains the brand consistency in its own way. What makes a brand iconic is the way how consumer frequently sees it. Though, marketing is a weapon to drill the brand, but what builds the brand is its niche yet simple logo and brand name, which could easily take the place in mind of target audience.

Komal Nathani

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia Pacific

A firm believer of hard work and patience. Love to cover stories that hold a potential to change the momentum of business world. Currently, a part of all-women web team of Entrepreneur’s Asia Pacific edition to jig the wheel of business journalism!

Leadership

You Won't Have a Strong Leadership Presence Until You Master These 5 Attributes

If you are a poor leader internally, you will be a poor leader externally.

Branding

94% of Customers Say a Bad Review Made Them Avoid Buying From a Brand. Try These 4 Techniques to Protect Your Brand Reputation.

Maintaining a good reputation is key for any business today. With so many people's lives and shopping happening online, what is said about a company on the internet can greatly influence its success.

Business News

Samsung Makes 6 Day Workweeks Mandatory for Executives as the Company Enters 'Emergency Mode'

Samsung said its performance "fell short of expectations" last year. Now executives are required to work weekends.

News and Trends

IT Firm Happiest Minds Technologies Acquires Macmillan Learning India

The deal will likely be finished by April 30 and will cost INR 4.5 crore.

Resumes & Interviewing

Build a Better Resume with This $35 Subscription

AI Resume Builder promises to help you apply to jobs twice as fast.

Starting a Business

6 Effective Funding Strategies for Startups

Navigating startup financing is complex. Entrepreneurs find themselves at the crossroads of innovation and survival, where a single decision can either fuel their dreams or extinguish their aspirations. Here we look at six ways you can finance your startup to support your business for long-term success.