Eps. 03: Does My Small Business Need Branding?

"My business is small — do I really need a brand?" Yes. And Donovan makes the case that small businesses need branding more than the big guys, not less — plus why a genuinely good product still won't sell itself without one. Real examples included.

Enjoyed this episode?
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and never miss an episode.
BRAND:NEW is hosted by Donovan, Creative Head & Brand Champion, and author of the upcoming book ‘The Business Owner's Guide to Branding’.
Questions or episode ideas?
donovan@jeffpayne.net

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Brand new. Welcome back to Brand New. I'm Donovan. A quick recap. Last episode we settled it. Your logo is not your brand. Your logo is the foundation. Your brand is everything else that's built on top of that. Today's question is one I hear a lot. My business is small, do I really need a brand? But the short answer is yes. And the long answer is yes. You need it more than anybody else. You need it more than the big guys. Here's the logic behind that answer. A massive corporation can survive a weak brand. They can outspend confusion. They can put the same logo in front of you 10, 20 times a day until it just sticks in your head through sheer repetition and an advertising budget the size of a small country's GDP. As a small or even a medium-sized business, you don't have that budget, you don't have that luxury. I'm willing to bet you cannot outspend the competition to buy a share in the market. So a small business doesn't get to win on repetition. It has to win on distinction. A clear, sharp brand lets a small business punch way above its weight, commanding better prices, earn fiercer loyalties, and get recommended by someone who saw you exactly once. And it's not theory. Look at companies like Innocent Smoothies, Dollarshave Club, Warby Parker. Every one of those started out really small, with zero right to beat the Giants in their category. What they had was smart, consistent branding. That's it. That was their unfair advantage. And you can be that. You can be that heavyweight with a killer left hook. You just have to actually start with a hook. Now, I'll get the obvious objection out of the way because I can hear it coming. I'm one guy with a van and a phone number, and it all sounds like a lot. Well, it doesn't need to be. You don't need to have a comprehensive identity system on day one. But every part of your brand needs to be intentional. That's the bar you're aiming at. Not big, intentional. Now, before I go, let me hit you with a bonus point. Here's one that trips people up constantly and it's worth 60 seconds of your time. Why does branding matter if my product is good? Simple. Good doesn't sell itself. I wish it did, it would make my job a lot easier. A great product that nobody notices, nobody remembers, nobody trusts is just a great product sitting on a warehouse shelf. Branding is what gets a total stranger to take a chance on you the first time, and it's what makes sure that they know exactly who to come back to the second time. Your product gets them to buy it once, your brand is what gets them to buy it again and tell people about it. In our next episode, we take on a question with three different answers. When is the right time to think about branding? Which of those answers is right for you? And that's it for this episode of Brand New. Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. I know your time is valuable and I don't take it for granted. If this show saves you from a bad design decision or just makes you think differently about your business for five minutes, do me a favor, share it with another business owner who needs to hear it, hit the subscribe so you don't miss out on the next one. I'm Donovan. This has been Brand New. See you in the next episode.