How to Build a Brand Image

Building a brand image that stands out and truly represents your company is a crucial part of growing your small business. Fortunately, building a better brand image for your business is doable for entrepreneurs at every level. Here are some tips to consider as you work on creating or improving your brand image.

Identify your key audiences

The first question you need to ask yourself when building a brand image is who your target audience is. Which demographic are you addressing? Is there a specific age bracket, gender or socioeconomic bracket you are trying to reach with your marketing and product? The answer will help shape your brand image.

Determine your business goals

What problem is your business trying to solve? Here, too, you’ll need to think of your end-goal before you can build your brand image.

What is your brand’s persona? Every company should have a personality. This will help form the way your brand communicates and presents itself to the public.

Choose your medium

While a common trend today is to get your voice out there through as many social media platforms as possible, it’s a good idea to choose just one or two mediums to focus on at first. For example, try to become the best voice in your field on Twitter or focus on building an outstanding YouTube channel.

Build your message

There are several avenues for spreading your message to the public, and each one has its own role in building your brand:

• Public relations (PR). This involves your brand serving as an expert voice in the media through blogs, news outlets, trade publications and more.
• Social media. As mentioned, having an active and interesting presence on social media platforms will help your brand draw a following and attract your target client base.
• Paid marketing. Advertising on popular platforms helps to create an awareness of your brand and reach new customers.
• Content marketing. Providing useful content for your target audience positions you as an expert in your field and helps you build a powerful brand image.
• Mass emails. While this should not be the sole marketing strategy, mass emails can deliver an attractive ROI and help you reach new customers.

Building a strong brand image is crucial for growing your business. For more information on starting a small business check out the United States Small Business Administration's free "Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship" virtual summit from May 2-5, 2022.