Branding is the personality of your business. And, it’s especially important for a small business to get branding right because tight budgets require creative ways to tell your story. You can overcome the large budgets of major competitors by focusing on branding. But to do so, it’s important to get that branding right.

Here are five points to develop a great brand.

Five Points to Develop a Great Brand

1. Your branding must reflect what you stand for and it must differ from your competition.

Be aware of your competitors’ branding and do something different. Think about a trade show where all your competitors are displaying; you do NOT want to be just “another one” in your industry.

2. Decide on key elements and focus relentlessly on them. 

Ensure that everything about your brand is in synch. Every snapshot, every short description, every PowerPoint presentation must have the same look and feel; they must all be a part of the same family. Focus relentlessly on telling a consistent story.

3. Create a signature visual.

Think beyond your logo. For example, my signature visual is the color green. My logo and all of my products are green. My websites are green. I always wear green when I speak and I only write with green ink. Even my car is green. People comment on this; they remember it. You want to be memorable. Decide on one or two key elements and carry them through.

4. Your brand should have personality.

Think of the Maytag Repairman or “Can you hear me now?”

5. Eliminate industry jargon and don’t talk about what is important to you.

Focus on what is important and memorable to the customer.