Building a brand can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re working with a limited budget. But trust me, you don’t need a massive budget to build a strong, recognizable brand. In fact, my first brand was built in PowerPoint, my second brand was a gift, and my third brand cost $5,000. These days, I spend a fraction of that and get much further. Here's what I've learned along the way about building a strong brand without breaking the bank.
What is a Brand?
First things first—let’s define what a brand really is. A brand is so much more than just your logo. It’s what people think of when they hear your business name. It’s the story they associate with you, the emotions they feel when interacting with your company. A brand is a combination of both practical elements, like logos and colors, and higher-level elements, like your messaging and voice.
There are two sides to branding:
1. Practical Elements
These are your logo, colors, fonts, and graphic assets. For example, in my business, Grow Disrupt, our breaking glass and powder poofs are part of our visual brand.
2. Higher-Level Elements
These include your messaging, voice, and tagline. Your message is the story you’re telling, and it’s what shapes how your audience feels about your business.
Common Branding Misconceptions
Before we dive into how to build a brand on a budget, let’s clear up some common misconceptions:
- You need to spend a ton of money to have a strong brand
Not true! You don’t need to blow your entire marketing budget on branding. The first brand I ever paid for cost $5,000, and we don’t even use any elements from that brand anymore. The key is knowing what you want so that you can work with the right people to bring your vision to life.
- You’ll get an amazing logo from competition sites
While these sites can give you a logo, they often lack the deeper brand elements that make your brand cohesive, like complementary graphic elements and assets. These logos are often rushed, and you need to be really clear on your vision to get something worthwhile.
- You need to get it perfect the first time
Spoiler alert—you won’t. As a business owner, your vision will evolve, and so will your brand. I’ve updated my brand multiple times as I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t.
Now that we’ve cleared up those misconceptions, let’s dive into how you can build a strong brand without a big budget.
Key 1: Consistency is Everything
While I don’t talk about consistency often, especially in the context of small business marketing, I do think it’s critical when it comes to branding. Consistency builds brand recognition. You’ve probably heard that it takes multiple touchpoints before someone buys from you—if your brand is inconsistent, those touchpoints won’t add up.
Consistency in your brand means presenting the same message, visuals, and voice every time someone interacts with your business. Whether it’s your website, social media, or printed materials, everything needs to feel cohesive.
The first step in achieving consistency is to document your brand guidelines. You don’t need to spend weeks perfecting this, but having a basic framework—your colors, fonts, and messaging—will go a long way in keeping everything aligned.
Key 2: Create a Strong Visual Identity
Your visual identity is more than just a logo—it’s everything that represents your brand visually. Think about the elements that will make your brand feel cohesive. For Grow Disrupt, our breaking glass and powder poofs are crucial to our brand identity because they reinforce the message of “breaking through to the next level.”
When you’re creating your visual identity, think about the following:
- Colors
What colors represent your brand? Are they bold and exciting or calm and soothing?
- Assets
What other visual elements will you use? Maybe it’s specific photography, line art, or animation.
When you find the elements that work for your brand, purchase them or have them custom-made. Having unique, branded visuals will help set you apart from competitors.
Key 3: Develop Your Brand’s Voice
A strong brand needs a distinctive voice. Your brand voice is how you communicate with your audience—it’s the tone, style, and language you use. Start by deciding on a few adjectives that describe your voice. Is it fun, authoritative, casual, or formal? These adjectives will help guide the tone of your content and how your brand is perceived.
Once you’ve nailed down your voice, test it. Ask yourself if each piece of content reflects your brand voice. As you refine this over time, your audience will begin to recognize and trust your brand.
It’s Okay to Start Small
Building a brand doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Start small. Don’t worry about getting everything perfect from the start. One of the joys of being a small business owner is that you have the flexibility to test and tweak your brand as you grow.
Big brands like Coca-Cola can’t easily make changes to their branding—it costs them billions of dollars. As a small business, you can evolve your brand as you learn what works. And if you need to make changes, it won’t break the bank.
You Don’t Need a Big Budget to Build a Strong Brand
At the end of the day, branding is about creating a cohesive and recognizable identity for your business, and you don’t need a massive budget to do it. Focus on consistency, create a strong visual identity, and develop a brand voice that resonates with your audience. Over time, as you refine and grow, your brand will become more powerful.
Need help with your marketing or branding? Visit thestephaniescheller.com to learn more about how I can help you get creative and build a powerful brand—without breaking the bank.