10 Branding Lessons for SMEs

While starting your business, your brand is one of the most important things you need to build. This is because as time goes on, your brand becomes your selling point and that is what helps you increase your customer base and retain other existing customers.

Below are few tips to help build your brand to become very competitive in the market.

1. Invest at least 10% of your income in yourself: This includes buying books and other necessary resources to help you understand what you are doing. The more you invest in yourself, the better you are likely to become.

2. 80% of your off time should be dedicated to learning: The business world is not static. It is a very dynamic space so instead of dwelling on your little victories, most of your free time should be spent learning so as to increase your knowledge base.

3. Dont work for money, work to learn: It would do you a lot of good to not allow money be your motivation. When taking internships or jobs that will be beneficial to what you want to do, make sure you focus on what you will be able to learn. With this, you keep a razor-sharp focus and you will be able to increase your skills which will be of benefit to you when you eventually start up.

4. Learn to create value: What makes any brand indispensable is the ability to create value. Their customers remain loyal because they are getting value for their money. So while building your business, make sure that you create a system that makes your products and services top notch of which people will always be willing to pay for it.

5. Shift your motivation from ‘getting’ to ‘giving’: The more you have a mindset of getting, you will remain oblivious to the needs of others. If you however put your mind into giving, you begin to realize what people want or need which will help you determine how to create an avenue to meet those needs.

6. Set your goals and face your fear: Often times, when you think of the hurdles you have to cross, you get discouraged. It will be better for you to set down your goals, preferably by putting it down on paper and face your fears. The earlier you start, the better it gets.

7. Get really good at marketing: Marketing is the soul of business. Truth is, there is really nothing new. What makes you stand out is how you are able to present your products to people and what sustains their interest enough to buy into your ideas.

8. Shift your environment regularly: Simply put, never be too comfortable. Creating a comfort zone for yourself may be very detrimental to your business. Make sure that you evolve regularly to keep up with trends and the market demands.

9. Define your own success: You need to keep a definition of what your success should be like. This will enable you take stock periodically to know how far you have gone and how far you need to go.

10. Have a standard, it becomes your brand: As an entrepreneur, you have to be known for something. On the long run, your standard evolves and becomes your brand. The more you attach premium on what you do and stick to it, the more people recognize you for it and that is what your brands become.

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