Comments on: Does a Brand Really Matter If You’re a Small Business?

By: Lou Sagar

Lou Sagar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:58:13 +0000

Brands today must offer a value proposition relevant to their customers. Small Business can flourish in this environment with a clear vision and mission. Most importantly, small business should have a basic social media infrastructure in place, in order to build and maintain relationships with customers. I recently was introduced to Shama Hyder thru Twitter, and she really illustrates how to be entrepreneural using social media tools without compromise to authenticity and honesty. It just shows…Good posts.

By: Alan Bleiweiss

Alan Bleiweiss — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:43:34 +0000

The smaller a company, the more you are your brand – good, bad or otherwise. It took me a while to find a way to identify what I wanted my brand to be in terms of the limits of how far we would be willing to go, what we would deliver and what we would not take on. Once I knew that I found what turned out to be a super business name that summarized directly what that was. From there it became a matter of needing to learn to stay on point in all aspects of the business, so as not to over-promise or under-offer.

By: Shama Hyder

Shama Hyder — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:19:49 +0000

Great post Newt-and thanks for the mention. ; )

I think people really have yet to understand the word “brand.” Lots of folks think it’s a vague concept.

The best way for a small business to define it’s brand is to internally decide what they want to be known for. The best brands can be summed up in a phrase or a word.

By: Newt Barrett

Newt Barrett — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:14:32 +0000

Harry,
You are so right. Even Gordon who wrote a somewhat critical post about spending big dollars on branding has clearly positioned himself as ‘that whitepaper guy.’

By: Newt Barrett

Newt Barrett — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:12:30 +0000

Gordon,
Thanks for taking time to comment.
Your point about not spending big bucks on branding is valid for small business. But, what I’m really driving at is that you still need to create your brand in the sense of making it crystal clear to your customers and prospects what they will experience and how they will benefit from working with you. That should then inform all of your communications.

By: Gordon Graham

Gordon Graham — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:03:04 +0000

Branding is TOTALLY over-rated for one-person companies selling B2B. The people who generally promote branding are in B2C advertising, design, or marketing. And this concept that everything you do and everything you say is part of your brand… nonsense! For a small business, a memorable name, a tasteful logo that you use consistently, a clear positioning statement, and a firm grip on your value proposition are all you ever need. Leave it to Coca-Cola and Nike to spend their millions on branding. Small B2B services don’t have the money to waste. And when a corporate buyer needs of a service, they don’t sit there with all your branding rushing into their brains. They think, “Do I need this guy? Did he perform last time? can I afford him? Great!” and they pick up the phone. I say again, don’t waste your precious money on branding exercises beyond what I listed above.

By: Harry Hoover

Harry Hoover — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:23:21 +0000

Amen, Newt. You don’t just need a brand, you have a brand if you run a business, small or otherwise. Every time you interact with your customers, employees or vendors you are building a brand. So, it is better to think about what you want the brand to be and be proactive in brand building. If you don’t position yourself, others will position you.