Just like people have a personal brand, so do businesses.

Quick, think of a famous business name!

In that split second, that brand jumped into your head all by itself and communicated a whole lot of information to you, it built an emotional connection with you, promised to deliver something special to you; that's the power of branding.

It's not just about a mission statement, logo, purpose, community, it's your business's identity - a promise of what your customer will get and how they will feel if they buy your product, service or do business with you.

Your USP

You can't be everything to everyone, focus on why you are different to the competition- that's your USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

Ask yourself these questions:

• What is your mission statement? What do you stand for?
• Who do you help? What do you help them do?
• Why should your customer choose you over someone else? What's different about you?
• What do you want people to think about you?
• Build your logo into every aspect of your business
• Find your brand voice and stick to it.
• Capture the soul of your brand in a snappy tagline.
• Develop a colour palette for your brand that matches your brand voice and mission and identity.
• Above all be consistent in everything you communicate.

Get people interested

Once you've your brand concept, put together a marketing plan to promote and communicate it. You don't need tons of money. Think like an entrepreneur and bootstrap! Leverage social media to promote your business; viral marketing can take off quickly. Who are the people you want to connect with? Where do they hang out? What are the channels they use? TikTok, YouTube, Instagram Twitter, Facebook? Use word of mouth, vlog, podcast, build a website and optimise it for SEO and build a profile on Google My Business so you get easily found in local searches, get people to review you, pitch to journalists. Finally, what do you want people to do once they hear your message? What's your call to action?

Final thoughts

Entrepreneurship can be a thrilling but sometimes lonely and stressful journey, the buck stops with you. Find a mentor who you can bounce ideas off and who can give you the benefit of their experience. They can share new perspectives, help you make better decisions, be your cheerleader through the rough times and keep you grounded during the great times. They can open up new networks for you. When you're further along in your entrepreneurial journey, think about becoming a mentor yourself and pay it forward. Let's keep that good Karma moving!

Suggested Reading

> Guide on how to contact reporters
> Outreach Email Templates
> 7 Reasons you need a mentor for entrepreneurial success
> Business Colours
> Bootstrap Marketing
> How to create a brand

By Anna Gordon - Certified Business Coaching Psychologist ABP CBCP