A solid business plan, great employees, and plenty of money can help out entrepreneurs. But there’s something more important that can help you: a brand.

A solid brand is absolutely essential for businesses of any size. Your brand is going to help you find customers, make connections with other professionals, and help make you money.

Tech has made it easier than ever for small businesses owners to master brand development. In fact, by the time you finish reading this post, you’ll know what you need to do to build a great brand.

Our 5 Must-Follow Brand Development Tips

You don’t need to be a branding or marketing professional to create a brand for your business.

Business owners know their products and business better than anyone, so you’re in the perfect position to create a brand.

If you’re new to branding, these 5 steps will help start building an effective and memorable brand for your small business.

Define Your Target Audience

Take some time to think about who your ideal customers are.

If you answer “anyone that likes fashion”, you need to take some time to think about who you really want to buy your products.

When you think about someone that uses your product, what image comes to mind?

Do you think of an older white-collar professional that likes the finer things in life? Are they young, hip, and always looking for a bargain?

Answering these questions about your target audience can give you a clear idea of who your brands need to appeal to. You’ll be able to think about what motivates them to make a purchase, and what value you give them.

Think About Your Value

Once you understand your audience, you’ll have a clear idea of the value you can give them.

What makes your product appealing to buyers? It could be the quality of your products, low cost, and affordability, or other less tangible things like feelings of popularity and prestige.

Once you figure out your value, you can write a positioning statement. Make it 3-5 sentences long, and make sure that it can succinctly sum up your unique brand value.

Develop Marketing Essentials

Now that you have your customers and value clearly defined, it’s time to start thinking about some marketing material every company needs.

First, take some time to think about your logo. It’ll be a part of your marketing materials and social media, so it’s important to think of something that represents your business.

Consider things like font, color, and symbolism. Remember, colors can help improve brand recognition by nearly 80%.

After you have your logo, consider including it on marketing collateral. Make sure it’s on business cards, brochures, and flyers.

Don’t be afraid to ask customers for feedback on the materials you produce. Customers can give you valuable feedback on whether or not your message is coming across the way you’d like.

Find a Consistent Voice

Would you be confused if you saw a luxury brand like Rolex or Chanel using slang or profanity in their advertisements? Do you think it would be strange to see a serious brand devoted to posting jokes and memes on social media?

Developing a consistent brand voice is important for businesses. Everything you do, whether that’s the content you write or the way you interact with customers, should always have the same brand voice.

Find a brand voice that effectively communicates with your potential customers. Be sure to use that message across all channels, including your website, print ads, and social media.

Make Yourself Known

In today’s highly connected world, customers want to interact with brands more than ever.

Customer engagement and brand building can be as simple as sending a tweet or scheduling an e-mail campaign. When you’re working on building your brand, you should be as visible and accessible as possible.

Get creative with your engagement efforts. Think about new content you can post on social media. Develop polls and surveys for customers to use.

Business Growth Essentials

Now that you know how to handle brand development for your business, it’s time to move on to other ways to improve and grow your company.

When was the last time you revisited your advertising strategy?

Online and print advertising can make or break small businesses, it’s important for you to have a comprehensive ad plan.

Take some time to read our posts about advertising tools so you can learn the best ways to advertise your products and business.