Reading time: 6 minutes
Published: April 22 2024
Branding for small business. Learn from YouTuber Emma Chamberlain's brand
Branding seems like an extravagant marketing move if you run a small business. It's a long-term strategy, so you usually have to wait for the results. However, currently, we are witnessing a brand-led marketing era as businesses try to build emotional connections with their audiences.
So, how can you possibly maneuver all of that?
This one might surprise you, but let's take inspiration from a brand built from a personal brand - Chamberlain Coffee by Emma Chamberlain.
What is branding, and can small businesses do it too?
Sometimes, the brand is equated with a business name. The truth is that while every business has a name, only some have a brand.
Branding is a distinct marketing strategy that requires a deeper understanding of your business's identity and values. Its goal is to build emotional connections and loyalty among consumers.
Some key elements involved in brand marketing are:
-
developing the brand identity: from visual aspects like logo or color palette to the tone of voice
-
brand positioning: how consumers perceive your brand compared to competitors
-
brand awareness: increasing the visibility of your brand
-
integrated communication: consistent messaging across all platforms
Unlike other strategies like paid search advertising or email marketing, branding is an investment that takes time to pay off.
That's the main (and valid) reason why many small businesses don't give branding a try. But the truth is that you're missing a lot.
Benefits of branding for small businesses
-
A small business with a brand becomes more recognizable and stands out and, as a result, attracts more customers.
-
The emotional connection with the brand leads to more loyal customers who can become advocates of your products or services and share the most valuable word-of-mouth recommendations.
-
Having a brand builds credibility and trust, which is challenging for any small business.
-
If you have a brand, you can charge more for your offerings as customers perceive you as more valuable.
-
The brand supports all your other marketing efforts by granting them a cohesive look and tone.
So yes, it's true that building a brand might not be your top priority as a small business owner at the beginning of your journey. But it's necessary if you want scale and longevity, especially in times like this.
Why is branding on everybody's bingo card in 2024?
Currently, we are witnessing a massive shift in marketing as more executives turn to branding. Why is that?
Gen Z is here
The new generation Z of consumers who grew up with social media and spent their formative years during the pandemic now comprise 40% of the global consumer population.
They prolong their identities online and are on the hunt to create emotional connections with brands. Gen Z is looking for brands with clear values that hopefully align with theirs.
More than any other demographic, they make their conscious purchase decisions based not only on pricing or product qualities but also on a perceived brand.
Privacy regulations
Recently, many countries have introduced new privacy policy regulations that affect performance marketing.
Users are way more consensual about their data, so tracking all the information and creating targeted campaigns is harder.
As a result, marketers focus on their mailing lists and brand marketing, as these areas are free from new regulations.
The market is saturated
Globalization caused quite a stir in the market as businesses have to fight with global competitors for customers.
Massive marketplaces like Amazon or eBay gather all your competitors into one place, and Temu or Aliexpress offer extremely low prices.
You have to stand out to win the consumer's heart. Branding is once again the answer to all your prayers.
WebWave AI Writer
Generate your website copy with just one click.
WebWave AI Writer
Generate your website copy with just one click.
Branding tips for small businesses from Chamberlain Coffee
In a time like this, you should get your inspiration from the best. And no one else knows branding better than Emma Chamberlain, the founder of Chamberlain Coffee and a YouTuber.
Tip no.1: Know who you are or, in other words, define your brand
Emma Chamberlain started her rise to fame as a vlogger. On her YouTube channel, she shared about her life as a coffee-loving teenager.
She was quirky and relatable and always holding a cup of coffee in her hand. She was often perfectly imperfect, and that was something that drew people to her.
Oh, and did I mention that she was constantly drinking coffee?
Starting a coffee business felt like a natural progression for her. It was genuine.
Her brand is just like her - fun, cool, very authentic, and full of love for coffee. It's for people who, like her, must make coffee first thing in the morning.
But I'm not a YouTuber with millions of followers, you might say.
Fair enough.
But that's not what makes Emma's brand special or successful.
Her quirky love for coffee does.
So take some time and think about your business.
Why did you decide to do what you do?
Is that a family tradition? Is it your passion? Were you tired of no one else doing it before?
Your story and what ties you with your business is an excellent start for building a brand.
Tip no.2: Let them know who's speaking with your distinct tone of voice
A tone of voice - how your band speaks - is one of the brand's core elements.
Chamberlain's Coffee tone of voice aligns with Emma's. It's quirky, youthful, a bit messy, and charming. Most importantly, it's unique.
So, how can you find your tone of voice?
-
Think about how you speak about your product or service, your words or phrases you use to describe them, and your emotions.
-
Record yourself as you describe your business so that you can catch your favorite phrases, which you use naturally.
-
Get inspired by your clients and their words.
-
Don't try to make it too polished; try not to tame yourself by thinking if that's something other people say. Find your voice that will eventually attract the right people.
Once you establish your tone of voice, use it as a guideline for your overall communication. It will appear on your website, in your emails, on your social media posts, in the name of your products, how you greet your clients, and eventually, in your brand name and tagline.
Once you figure out the basics, you will see how easy it is to maintain consistent communication.
Tip no. 3: Use unconventional visuals
Visual language is a strong indicator of brand identity. Feel free to break out from the conventions.
When you think about small business websites, you can see stock images and stiff grid layouts. However, you don't have to follow the same path.
On Chamberlain Coffee's website, illustrations are mixed with images. Everything is very laid-back, with a bit of a retro tone.
You can do it too.
Instead of using the same stock imagery as everybody else, buy a pack of illustrations or commission someone to create a custom one for you.
You can also channel your inner graphic designer and make something yourself.
You only need an iPad or a graphics tablet and a little imagination.
You can use these illustrations on the packaging, social media posts, or as decorative elements on your website. Emma even swapped a traditional shopping cart icon for a coffee mug to maintain her branding.
You don't have to be a professional web designer to do so. You can generate your website with an AI website builder like WebWave and add custom elements to your project.
Tip no. 4: Be a pro at authenticity
A common misconception among small businesses about brand marketing is that it has to be expensive and that everything you do needs to be extremely professional and high-level.
Thankfully, times have changed. Because of social media, our values and perceptions of quality are different.
Emma posts vertical, social-media-style videos on her website to build an emotional connection with clients. You can do this even on a budget.
The most important part is to show yourself. Come out of your shell to share your passion, mission, and joy with your clients.
Trust me; it's you who they want to see the most.
Small business brand strategy - summary
Developing your brand identity is the first step in creating a strategy. You have to understand who you are. What are the characteristics of your small business?
Once you dwell on that and find your essence, go ahead and craft your brand guidelines.
Write down all the crucial elements and how they should reflect on different aspects of your communications.
Define your brand style guide with colors, typography, especially fonts, and imagery style. Describe your brand voice, and remember to include examples.
The bare minimum you can do is be consistent with your brand strategy. Everything you produce, every piece of marketing material, has to comply with it.
And finally, invest in branding.
You can work with professional designers or branding consultants to enhance your small business brand identity.
You can also use different marketing channels to grow your brand. Social media and content marketing are the first things that come to mind. You can also engage in community and networking events. It increases brand visibility and reinforces the image you want to create.
So don't wait any longer—start adding branding to your marketing strategy. It's a must by 2024.
Branding vocabulary
Brand
A brand is a set of marketing and communication methods that help distinguish a company from its competitors. It includes elements like a company's logo, name, and overall image.
Small Business Branding
Small business branding involves creating a unique identity that makes a business stand out in the market. It's essential for building customer loyalty and brand recognition.
Brand Identity
Brand identity is how a business wants to be perceived by consumers. It encompasses visual elements like logos, colors, messaging, and tone of voice.
Brand Strategy
Brand strategy refers to a long-term plan for developing a successful brand. It involves defining brand goals, target audience, and positioning in the market.
Style Guide
A style guide is a document that outlines how a brand should be represented visually and verbally. It includes specifications for logos, colors, fonts, and more.
Brand Guidelines
Brand guidelines are rules and standards that define how a brand should be presented across various platforms. They ensure consistency in branding.
Visual Branding
Visual branding involves using images to show people what your company is about. This helps people remember your brand and recognize it when they see it, which is really important for your overall marketing plan.
Brand Story
A brand story is a narrative that tells the story of your brand by sharing both the facts and emotions it evokes. Unlike traditional ads that focus on product features and benefits, a brand story aims to create a deeper emotional bond with the audience. It's important to keep your audience in mind when crafting your brand story and provide them with the information they need in a clear, direct manner.
Brand Image
It's the customer's perception of the brand. It is based on their interactions and experiences with it. If not managed well, this perception can differ from the intended brand identity.
Brand Equity
Brand equity is the value a brand adds to a product or service. This includes consumer perceptions of quality, emotional connections, and the overall experience associated with the brand.
Brand Positioning
The strategy is used to create a unique impression in the customer's mind so that they associate your brand with something specific and desirable that is distinct from the rest of the marketplace.
Brand Loyalty
Brand loyalty is the tendency of consumers to continuously purchase one brand’s products over another. Building brand loyalty involves creating positive experiences that reinforce trust.
Brand Awareness
The extent to which consumers are familiar with the qualities or image of a particular brand of goods or services.
Tagline
A memorable phrase that sums up the tone and premise of a brand or product and reinforces the audience's memory of the brand.
Other articles.
WebWave website builder is your AI-powered solution for building an online presence. Create your website in 3 minutes, add an online store or a blog, and grow your business.
We created this website with WebWave.
Follow us on social media
Company.
Help.
Templates.