Generating leads for your business is vital for continued success. And as a small business owner, knowing the right strategies to generate leads ultimately falls on you. It can be one of the more stressful parts of business ownership.

More leads = greater income for you and your employees.

The great question is how to keep loyal customers coming back without busting your marketing budget. The answer can be found in your small business branding.

A strong brand represents professionalism and quality to your customers. Branding is especially important for a local small business, and it’s certainly more than a logo. On the other hand, poor brand representation will hurt your reputation and cause potential customers to bypass you and keep looking for a company they will trust.

Here are six brand strategies to put in place to help you generate leads.

1. Use Your Logo Consistently

Hiring a professional designer to create your company’s visual brand will help your business stand out in a positive, professional way. Once you have a brand style guide in place, (a logo, branding colors, fonts, etc.) use all the various components on a consistent basis. Your logo is typically the first association with your small business, so think of it as your first step in all marketing materials.

If you have a great logo, show it off! Place it on your employee t-shirts, business cards, and letterhead, use it as your profile photo on social media, and include it on yard signs. Think of it this way: If your company name is printed anywhere, your logo should always be attached.

Consistency in your visual brand translates to people recognizing and remembering your company. And this is so important because staying top of mind for customers is the best way to generate leads.

2. Share Your Company Story Creatively

Just as your company’s brand identity is more than a logo, it’s also your story. It’s who you are as a company and how you interact with your clients. Make sure you share your story often with your audience on your website and social media pages. You can even find creative ways through video to interact with your audience. Share your company origin story. Share the struggles you’ve faced and how you’ve gotten through tough times – your audience will be able to empathize and relate better with you if they know your real story. And of course, share your expertise and establish authority through video content as well.

Your small business story is unique. This automatically sets you apart from other companies in your industry. Customers who see your story and align with you and your services or products will ultimately want to become part of that story, as a loyal patron. This brings us to connecting emotionally with your audience.

Source: QuickSprout

3. Connect Emotionally With Your Audience

Consistent connection with your customers is a huge part of your small business branding. You can probably think of a company that’s so focused on getting more customers, they’ve forgotten how to build a relationship with their audience. Don’t be that business. Influencive puts it this way, ““A product solves a physical need, while the brand focuses more on the customer’s emotional needs, solving a specific problem or concern.”

Create a stronger relationship with a potential customer by reaching out on an emotional level. Use your company’s story as a place to begin. It doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to be sappy – incorporate positive emotions in your social media posts, blogs, and videos. What is it you provide your customers that makes their lives easier? What wonderful things can you do for them? Tell that story, and your audience won’t forget it.

4. Create Brand Ambassadors

We’re sure you have some great salespeople on your staff. That said, your happy customers are better at selling your services than even your best salesperson. Count on your satisfied customers. Get to know them, and consider that every interaction they have is a chance to wow them even more so they’ll want to sing your praises to their friends and family members. Potential customers are more likely to consider your company if they have heard or seen testimonials from people like them – people they know and trust.

Transform your clients into brand ambassadors by:

• Creating a referral program.
• Sending a quick “thank you” after their purchase.
• Inviting them to leave an online review.
• Filming a video with your happy client.
• Creating a loyalty program.
• Keeping up with your clients through an email newsletter.

Depending on your industry, not all of these tips will work for your business. Start with one that will and you will be amazed at how your new brand ambassadors can easily bring in more sales leads.

5. Humanize Your Business

Although your logo is the face of your business, you are still the person behind the brand. Show your face! Your audience will connect better with your brand when they see a person behind it all. Show your employees working together and interacting with clients in videos too. Introducing your employees and what they do will also highlight a company that cares. Help your potential customers connect with your brand on a deeper level than a transaction. Don’t be afraid to have personality too – people want to buy from other people.

6. Maintain Industry Authority

Our last tip to leverage your brand and generate sales leads is creating and maintaining authority in your industry. You can do this by writing guest blog posts on specific topics on leading industry websites. You should also be producing your own educational blog posts on your website. Pitch articles to your local news sources as well to get your name out in the community. Help your audience by solving specific problems they’re dealing with. And then don’t forget to sprinkle in CTAs. Ultimately, building trust with your audience will help them see you as an expert.

Your brand identity, when used correctly, will work on its own to generate sales leads for your small business. Your visual brand, your voice, and your company story will all attract your ideal customers. Advertising draws in a potential lead, but your brand and personality make the sale. With your strong business brand, people will think of you when a need arises. Continue to tell your unique story and put your best professional foot forward with your brand.

In need of a company rebrand? Contact our Hyport Digital team for professional branding services.