Branding strategies for small business websites

Any business needs to stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s a company logo that is instantly recognizable, like Apple or Nike, to a colour scheme you can’t mistake, like Facebook; colour and branding will help establish your identity. And where could be better to show off your identity than your company website? After all, this will be the centre of your digital presence, and is a huge piece of digital marketing. As a result, when we are working with companies and businesses, large or small, one of the key things we make sure we establish is the branding and the colour scheme. Here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading digital marketing and web design company. And we know how important it is to get your company branding right. This is our guide to branding strategies for small business websites.

Branding is all about being recognizable. From the logo on your van, to the sign above your physical shop, branding in the real world is fairly straightforward. But when it comes to your company website it isnt as straight forward.

Branding helps to develop trust between the consumer and the company. This comes from the consumers belief in the authenticity of the company, as well as the way the company presents itself.

A company with a good logo, clearly branded products, and a good branding strategy will be more likely to appear authentic. It shows that you are not afraid to put your name out there and own your own brand.

One of the most important branding strategies for small business websites is the development of an appropriate logo. Ideally, the logo should be the same as you already use, to unite your physical presence and your digital presence. However, it might need reworking to look good online and to appeal to a wider audience. If this is the case, make sure you hire a professional team to rework your existing logo, and bring it up to date. After all, a professional logo will indicate a professional company that can be trusted.

Colour is an essential part of branding. It not only helps to unite your web prescence across different platforms, but it can also help to communicate a specific message to the customers. For example, the red of Coca-Cola indicates a company that is passionate, powerful, strong and full of energy.

As a result, you should do some research into colours and their meaning, and choose a colour that represents what your brand is all about. For small businesses, this is an important branding strategy.

Branding strategies for small business websites should also include the content. This is something that often gets overlooked, once the colour scheme and the logo are in place. However, the content can be an important tool for expressing yourself as a company. Whether it’s through video content, like this risky video from the Dollar Shave Club, or it’s through written content, like the articles at BuzzFeed, letting your brand develop a personality can help you stand out.

This means that your website should include content that is both authoritative, and personal to your company identity. And this can help your small business develop relationships with visitors and customers.

Once you know which direction to take with your logo, colour scheme and content strategy, you can begin to apply these branding strategies to your small business website. This should include:

⦁ a clear logo, usually on the top bar or side bar or each page

⦁ a colour scheme that is consistent across all web pages, and all digital platforms including social media

⦁ branding that matches real world applications such as stationary, contact cards and letterheads

⦁ content that is consistent across all digital platforms including social media

⦁ an effective use of the colour scheme on the website, including website navigation colours and image borders and content boxes.

For more information about branding strategies for small business websites,  or for professional web design and web marketing solutions, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.