Today, all you have to do is turn on the television for a matter of seconds or flip through the pages of any Northern Virginia newspaper or magazine, and you are instantly visually assaulted with a wide variety of quickly recognizable brands. From a simple swoosh to a familiar six-colored peacock, brands have been imprinted on every aspect of our lives.

With the amount of brands seen on a daily basis growing each and every day, as a small business owner, you might feel as if your brand might fall through the cracks and not matter to your business in the long run. But as a matter of fact, your brand does matter! We constantly refer to the three R’s of branding: Recognition, Reputation, and Reach.

Recognition

Imagine trying to live in a world without any corporate brands or logos. People would be berating one another on a daily basis asking questions like “Who made those shoes you’re wearing?” or “What was that white truck doing at your house today?” But because of the brands that are on each of the products and services offered today, people are able to instantly recognize the company associated with those products and services. By creating a brand that people are able to associate with your small business, it works to instantly expand your reach.

Reach

If five people have an item branded by your small business, and they travel in five different directions, they immediately help to expose others to the products or services that your company provides – exposing your brand to quite possibly hundreds or thousands of potential customers that may not have heard of your brand before. For consumers, seeing a new brand that may directly pertain to their needs will spark curiosity about your brand, and will cause them to ask about it. Whether they decide to invest in your brand or not comes down to the reputation you build for your brand.

Reputation

Reputation can be seen as a brand enhancer or demolisher. Customers rely on the past experiences that they have had while using a certain brand to form a positive or negative opinion of the product or service that you offer. One of the goals that your brand should try to achieve is to create a positive reputation for you and your small business. Working to create and maintain a positive brand image will enable your company to grow and continue to reach new customers due to the increased attention it will receive from new potential customers.

If you’d like to talk with us about tips on how to make your brand stand out from competitors in the marketplace, we are more than happy to share our thoughts and experiences