7 Big Branding Mistakes Your Small Business is Making

If you’re a Canadian small business owner, you have an 80% chance of surviving past your first year in business. After two years, small business survival rates drop to less than 72%. While this may sound like decently good odds, it still means that 1 in every 4 small businesses will fail, and fail quickly.

One reason businesses lose sales or fail is weak or faulty branding. If you want your small business to survive and thrive, make sure you avoid these seven common (but fatal) branding mistakes:

BAD NAME

Your company’s name is one of the first things a consumer learns about your business. Your name should be timeless, unique, and an extension of your company’s mission and values. If you have a name that’s too commonplace, outdated or cheesy, customers may pass you over or have a harder time remembering your business.

BAD GRAPHICS

Graphic design is constantly changing and improving…which means your logo and website graphics can quickly become outdated. If you want customers to take you seriously, invest in a professional graphic designer (rather than have a buddy slap something together).

BRANDING INCONSISTENCIES

Once you’ve created your company’s key messages and cohesive look, make sure you’re consistently using those branding tools. Does all your website copy adhere to the messaging strategies you’ve put together? Does every social media visual use your color scheme? If you become sloppy with your brand’s look and messaging, customers will notice.

NOT PROPERLY TRAINING EMPLOYEES

Employees are the customer-facing front line of a business. Therefore, it’s important to arm your employees with the tools and training they need to deliver a delightful customer experience.

POOR OFFICE CULTURE

Only 17 percent of employees feel they have a “compelling and engaging” employment brand. Poor office culture results in disengagement and turnover. Instead, empower your employees and create a positive culture. Look at it this way: Your employees could become an army of brand ambassadors.

NOT LEVERAGING BRAND AMBASSADORS

Speaking of brand ambassadors, are you appropriately leveraging your existing customer relationships? Don’t be afraid to ask your satisfied customers to share their experiences with their friends via word of mouth. Also, make sure you have a system for tracking and following up with your regular customers, because 80% of your sales come from 20% of your existing customer base.

STALE COPY

Often companies launch their websites and forget to refresh their online content even years later. Just as graphics can become outdated based on design trends, website copy and typeface can become stale. Be sure your content is up-to-date and reflects your company’s current objectives.

What other mistakes have you seen small businesses make? If you need help branding your small business, contact SKYFALL BLUE today.