Every small and local business owner knows that their competition isn’t limited to fellow small businesses. There are giant brands represented in cities and towns across the country, meaning you’re left to compete with other local shops plus the corporations with big marketing budgets and even bigger name recognition.
Every small company has lost business to a large franchise business. Often, it’s only because larger companies look better and people perceive them as more trustworthy. For some reason, when a large company has all the bells and whistles – flashy commercials, “deep discounts” pricing, and fancy branding – the general public believes them more. However, we all know that smaller, local businesses are by far the best value. We care more, often offer direct to consumer pricing, and do more to support the local community.
While it may seem like you’re fighting an uphill battle, there are plenty of advantages that small businesses have over their larger competitors. BUT you need to get their attention. Just like the big businesses are doing. You need to get them through the door, or to make the call – to YOU.
Quality and consistent branding is the key! With a proper brand package – that you apply to all your business materials and equipment, signage, marketing and advertising, heck, even your vehicle – your small business can have a franchise look!
All branding is, really, is the “look” and message you send out to the public and your customers about your business. Businesses create a brand by using a distinct graphic identity through the use of a company logo, colors, and other visual designs. Additionally you create your brand through the message your company sends via your mission, tone of voice, and the image you portray.
How you display your business – whether with consistent, quality logo and graphics or ugly, haphazard graphics – becomes your brand. The only way larger businesses have you beat is that they commit to their brand and stick with it, all the time, on all their communications. As a smaller business, there is nothing stopping you from doing the same thing! Maybe the only thing you’re lacking is commitment.
We find that smaller businesses just fail to commit to developing branding. If they have it, they don’t stick with it consistently. You must make sure branding promoted throughout all your business materials and messaging to really be effective. It’s not that complicated or even difficult to do either.
People tend to judge a book by it’s cover. When it comes to branding, people react the same way. However you look, how you will be judged. So if your business signage and other materials are poorly done, lacking any real graphical look, people will be unimpressed. If they are unimpressed with how you present yourself, they will likely take their business elsewhere when given a choice.
One of the best ways to level the playing field with the bigger franchise businesses is to have professional-looking design elements. A great logo, clean website, and appealing signage will help you gain positive attention.
We want to stress that you do not have to have the budget of a huge franchise to accomplish this. When you work with a local company like Sebago Signworks, we offer affordable design services, and have graphic designers on staff to help with developing logos, color schemes, and other graphics. You can also approach your branding in phases. Start with a great logo and clear brand package for your signage, and expand from there to branding invoices and receipts, lettering your vehicle, or ordering branded apparel for your team.
While this may feel daunting for a business owner who doesn’t have a background in design, working with Sebago Signworks will make it easy to elevate your brand. We’ve worked with hundreds of small businesses, throughout most industries, and we can help you define your look and then develop your graphics from there.
From helping you select the right color palette to designing logos and other materials, we offer one-stop services to create your overall branding package for your business.
REACH OUT TO US TODAY to get started with some new branding that will make YOU stand out from the rest!