Do your small business's designs stand out from the competition?
Look at your logo, and then look at your competitors' logos. Is yours eye-catching and memorable when stacked next to theirs?
When you spread out all of your marketing materials on a table next to your competitors' materials, do yours look better than theirs? Do yours look consistent, high-quality and professional?
When you look at your website alongside your competitions', does yours look current and up-to-date? Does it look unique and match all of your other marketing materials? And, is your website bringing in leads and potential clients?
Your business's logo, marketing materials and website have to stand out from the competition so that they can help you make a connection with potential clients and customers.
How do you go about making sure that your business's designs stand out?
You should start designing your materials by first defining your brand and your business. Once you really know what your business is all about, you can then create designs that tell the story of how your business stands out, and will really make you shine.
A small business should look at 4 things when they create their Brand Definition:
- Who You Are: Your business's personality (which, in a small business, often comes partially from the business owner), your values, and your vision.
- What You Do: The products and/or services you provide, and the form in which you provide them. What problem do you solve for your customers?
- What Makes You Different: This will probably boil down to a niche market and some of the specific elements of your business's personality that really make you shine.
- Who You Can Best Help: Also known as your target market — who you can make the most impact on, and who you want to work with. Who will get the most out of working with you? And who do you most enjoy working with?
Then, I take these 4 factors and use them as the basis for creating your designs. Each visual element in your designs can hold meaning, and help to visually tell your story to your potential clients. That way, when they look at your materials, they'll be able to instantly and immediately see what your business is about, and
How do you create your Brand Definition? And then design eye-catching materials that will make you stand out?
That's where I can help. I've created a process to help small businesses take a look at themselves and to create a Brand Definition that tells their business's story. I offer some of this information for free, and then I have products and services to help you through the process as well. Here are some of the details about each of these options, and links to get more information on each:
Get started for free
My free information is available in the "Free Help" section of this website, and through my newsletter. You can immediately browse through the free info section for articles and information on creating graphics that stand out.
If you like what you see there, I recommend signing up for my newsletter. Twice a month, you'll get a new article full of information you can use on creating graphics that make your business shine.
With your newsletter subscription, you also get a copy of the Define Your Difference Branding Worksheet. This worksheet is a free sample-sized version of my Define Your Difference Branding Workbook, and it walks you through the process of defining your brand. This worksheet asks you some in-depth questions about your business's personality, your services, your competition, and your marketing to get you on the path to creating a brand that will help you figure out what you want your business's brand to say to your target audience, so that you can stand out.
Once you've defined your brand, you still have to create your marketing materials. So, the workbook comes paired with a bonus ebook called Branding Basics that talks about the 5 steps to branding your small business — the process that you should go through to create a brand that catches your prospects' attention. This eBook explains each of the 5 steps in great detail. Those steps are:
1. Define Who You Are, What You Do, What Makes You Different, Your Target Audience and Your Business's Personality
2. Design Your Logo and Brand Identity To Communicate Your Brand Definition
3. Develop Your Website and Marketing Communications Collateral
4. Distinguish Your Business from the Crowd
5. Direct Your New Brand So That it Can Reach Its Fullest Potential
If you address all 5 of these steps when you create your Brand Identity and marketing designs, you'll create a professional brand for your business that will make it easy for you to build credibility for your small business. A professional brand identity communicates your company's purpose and promises, increases your memorability and drives sales.
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Get my free report, Branding Basics for Small Business Success, and learn how to build a brand that will create real results for your business.
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If you're getting serious about creating your brand, try my Do-It-Yourself Books and Recordings
I created these eBooks and MP3 recordings to provide a low-cost option for small businesses to make progress on creating their brands. They cover topics ranging from:
If you're just starting your business, or starting to design your logo, brand and website, these books can help you to organize your thoughts so that you can create a brand that will tell your business's story and last for the life of your business, without a huge financial investment.
If you're ready to jump in and design your brand, then I can create a brand for your business that will make you stand out.
Maybe you haven't designed your logo and brand yet, and you want to start your business out with top-quality designs and marketing materials so that you can get your business and your marketing started out in the best possible way.
Or, maybe you designed your logo early on in your business, and now it's not fitting your business well. You may have not known your whole business story when you first designed your brand, or as your business has grown, the story may have changed as well. If the brand that you've designed isn't fitting your business, and really helping your business to put its' best face out into the world, then it's time to consider redesigning.
Whether you're just starting out, or if it's time to redesign, I can take you through the design process that I've developed especially to help small businesses create logos, marketing materials and websites that are unique and stand out from the competition. You can learn a bit more about my design process here.
I've also created in-depth sections on each type of design I do:
In each section, you'll find free articles that have to do with that area of design, a listing of my do-it-yourself products on that topic, my process, samples of my work, and even details on my most-requested packages and pricing. Or, if you'd like a custom quote on your project, you can use my Instant Quote Form.
Standing out will make it easier to connect with your best potential clients, which will lead to better projects, better sales, and more satisfied customers.
Now, go make your small business stand out so that you can connect with your best clients!
Erin Ferree
Small Business Brand Designer
Got questions? If you have questions about anything — your specific project needs, my services, or my design packages — just contact me. I'd be happy to discuss your needs with you.
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