Foregrounding a personal, attractive and authentic brand should be at the top of your to-do list if you’re considering starting a small business. This doesn’t have to take much work – your personality can shine through your business and do the legwork for you. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about creating a brand, fear not. Below are some prompts and questions to get you started.
Who are you tailoring your products / services to?
Having your target audience clear in your mind is a crucial step to creating an authentic brand. Who are the people who will be most likely to buy your products? Think realistically and ask some friends or family members who would fall into your potential target audience if they would buy your products. Ask them for feedback, too. This way, you can be sure you’ve nailed your target marketing.
What’s your story?
Your ‘About Me’ information needs to be clear and easily accessible, whether on your social media platforms, website, or e-commerce platforms such as Etsy and Shopify. What drove you to start the business? What are your passions? How do your personal interests relate to your business? All of these are important questions.
Example: Canny Gifts
‘Keeping the Toon’s Books Warm Since 2019’
We started our own small business, Canny Gifts, in 2019. My Mum and I moved to the North East and I started an English literature degree. After my Mum made me a book pouch to keep my course texts pristine, my coursemates saw them and wanted some for themselves. I’ve always been an avid reader and a perfectionist, so Canny Gifts was born. I love working on our family business as when I was younger, I felt like I was alone in my interests. Now, I can sew up handmade gifts and send them to fellow book lovers.
Get out into the community
Community markets are becoming increasingly popular, especially since the Covid lockdown. Depending on where you live, there are a lot of organisations offering regular market spots. For example, Ouseburn, a suburban area in Newcastle coined as the new Shoreditch, runs a monthly Ouseburn Market for local businesses. If it fits the tone of your business, take the plunge and get your name out into the community. Connecting with your customers and other small businesses are important factors in growing your own business.
Keep up a social media presence
As discussed previously in our last blog post, social media presence is vital when building up a business. TikTok is a huge booster for businesses, with 17 million active TikTok users who spend 66 minutes a day interacting on the app. For those of you that are not 100% converted to TikTok just yet, Instagram Reels are also becoming more popular and can vary up your feed. Some ideas of video content include: a day in the life of running a small business, showing how your products can be used in a daily routine and the story of your business. Incorporating your personal story into your social media strategy is really important, as people want to follow both you and your brand.
Are you looking to enhance some of these skills we’ve discussed in this post? Register for our free ‘Personal Branding’ workshop on the 16th of November.
Get in touch if these tips have helped you with your small business – we would love to spotlight you and your venture.
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