Welcome back to Brand New. I’m Donovan.
A quick recap. On our 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? 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.
DOES MY SMALL BUSINESS NEED BRANDING?
A quick recap first. Last time, we settled something important: your logo is not your brand. Your logo is the foundation. Your brand is everything else built on top of it.
Today I want to tackle a question I hear constantly, usually from someone who’s just started and is watching every rand or dollar leave their account: Does my small business need branding?
The short answer is yes.
The long answer is also yes. In fact, you need it more than anybody—more than the big guys.
You need branding more than the big guys.
Why Small Businesses Need branding the most
Here’s the logic. A massive corporation can survive a weak brand. They can outspend confusion. They can put the same logo in front of you ten, twenty times a day until it sticks through sheer repetition, backed by an advertising budget the size of a small country’s GDP.
As a small or medium-sized business, you don’t have that. You don’t have that luxury. And I’m willing to bet you cannot outspend the competition to buy your way into the market.
So a small business doesn’t get to win on repetition. It has to win on distinction.
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. It commands better prices, earns fiercer loyalty, and gets recommended by someone who saw you exactly once.
It’s Not Theory
Look at companies like Innocent Smoothies, Dollar Shave Club, and Warby Parker. Every one of them started 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.
You can be that. You can be the heavyweight with a killer left hook. You have to actually start with a hook.
You can be the heavyweight with a killer left hook. You have to actually start with a hook.
“I’m One Guy With a Van and a Phone Number”
I can hear the objection coming, so let’s deal with it now. It all sounds like a lot when you’re running the whole show yourself.
It doesn’t need to be.
You don’t need 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.
Every part of your brand needs to be intentional. That’s the bar you’re aiming at. Not big. Intentional.
“Why Does Branding Matter If My Product Is Good?”
Here’s one that trips people up constantly, and it’s worth sixty seconds of your time.
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, and 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 they know exactly who to come back to the second time.
In the 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? Find out on the next episode of Brand New.
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