Business Branding Ideas to Help You Stand Out

In a crowded marketing it’s difficult to stand out. Between websites, social media, and paid advertisements, what are the things that are going to work for your business so that your name is recognized in your local market? Here are some business branding ideas to help grow and promote your business.

What is business branding?

What do we mean when we talk about a ‘brand’ or ‘branding’? A brand consists of all the familiar visual elements—the logo, the name, the colors and font of your website and marketing material—as well as the language and feeling that your business conveys to customers.

Business Branding Ideas

Get a Good Logo

Visual marketing is the first thing that many people see when it comes to your business. Make sure your logo stands out and is memorable to potential customers. You want something that people will understand to be part of your business, evoke good feelings, and be memorable.

Create a Vanity URL

The easiest way to make your business stand out is by creating a vanity URL, or a customized web address that includes the name of your business for marketing, branding, and search engine optimization (SEO) benefits. Vanity URLs are usually short and descriptive, and can easily be recognized as part of your business’s branding on social media.

Create a Custom Hashtag

A custom hashtags is another way to make your business stand out. Custom hashtags increase your brand’s reach on social media by providing a unique way for people to recognize and search for your business. The difference between regular hashtags like #yogastudio and a custom hashtag like #firebreathyoga is that one is unique and stands out on social media. Custom hashtags aren’t just for your brand name; they can also be used to promote new arrivals or product launches as well as promotions, sales, and events.

Run a Facebook Contest

Running a Facebook contest or giveaway is a fantastic way to make your business stand out on Facebook. Facebook contests are highly shareable—to enter you can require that users share the post and tag other users which will put you business in front of countless potential new customers. Facebook contests and giveaways are an easy way to stand out, promote your business, and achieve your marketing goals.

Related: Facebook Marketing for Small Business Owners

Tag People on Social Media

Another branding idea to make your business stand out is to tag people on social media like Facebook and Twitter. Tagging puts your post in the face of other users. But you can’t tag people willy-nilly; make sure you’re tagging people in relevant posts or photos such as posts about their business, something they would be interested in, or photos of the users. Tagging is best used when you have hosted an event or attended an event with other businesses or people and want to share photos or a blog post that includes attendees.

Improve Your Photos

Putting some time and effort into making your business’s photos better can go a long way. This is especially important if your business has a visual element to it. Take a few extra minutes to edit your photos; this can be done through software or photo editing apps on your phone. There are plenty of free apps that offer a range of features to enhance the look and feel of your photos. We recommend using Canva when working with your computer or Afterlight for editing photos for Facebook and Instagram on your smartphone.

Related: 25 Visual Marketing Tools 

Watermark Your Pictures

If you are especially proud of your pictures, why not watermark them with your business name or logo or social media handle? Although adding a logo may take more advanced editing apps, many photo editing apps let you quickly and easily add text.

Show Customer Appreciation

Customers patronize many businesses on a daily basis. Make your business stand out by establishing customer appreciation as part of your branding efforts. Customers who feel welcome and appreciated are more likely to return to your business as loyal customers and evangelists and tell their friends to use your business!

Create Unique Graphics

Sick of taking pictures of your store? Create your own branded graphics to switch up your content. We recommend using an online site like Canva, a tool to create any size picture for social media and is enabled with countless graphics and pre-designed layouts.

Add Quotes to Stock Photos

Inspire or motivate your customers with an uplifting quote on a beautiful picture. This is a great way to go far with stock photos in your marketing. Make sure that you’re using copyright free stock photos or ones with a license that allow modification. You can create this using a free stock photo and the text option of Canva. This shows customers that you care about them and want them to have a great day.