Brand Values

Small businesses don’t usually think of themselves as brands. But the fact is that every business has a brand – an intangible combination of the emotional and rational benefits of buying from you – your reputation in other words.

What’s the point of brands? Take the difference between Mercedes (left) and say a Skoda (right).

They both get you from A to B but you’d pay far more for a Mercedes. And that’s the real point about brands. They add value to customer perceptions and command higher prices.

To build a picture of your brand, you need to find out why people buy from you, and not from your competitors. Why do they stay with you – or leave? Does price play an important role?

And what about the services you provide, as well as your reputation, your locality, innovation, the convenience you provide and so on.

Build a clear picture of the value people get by buying from you and make sure every manifestation of your business – from business cards to the way you and your staff behave to your products and marketing – is designed to reinforce that.

Your logo, marketing, website, premises and vehicles are all visual and verbal ways of expressing what your business stands for and what you deliver.

"How do you go about promoting your website?"