Marketing your small business is a critical yet daunting task. While word-of-mouth referrals seem like the best way to bring in new business, building a client base this way can take years! Many business owners don’t realize they can market their brands effectively with a little time and effort.
To learn about common branding mistakes, I interviewed Kayla Almon, a social media marketing manager with five years of experience in the field. With the help of her graphic design degree from Augusta Technical College, Kayla has worked with many businesses to achieve consistent brand presentation across platforms and meaningful social media engagement and growth.
Here is Kayla’s list of three most common branding mistakes and how to avoid them!
Lack of design consistency: Many businesses put so much work into their social media platforms and website, but don’t achieve an aesthetically-pleasing, consistent look in their online presence. Kayla suggests choosing a particular color palette and one font across all platforms to achieve a that uniform look that feels professional! This purposeful consistency will help build meaningful brand recognition in your audience.
No social media strategy: Kayla likens brands using social media without a strategy to starting a business without a plan. She recommends having a written strategy with clear goals that are flexible enough to adapt to the platform and the business itself. Kayla notes that not all social media platforms are suited for every business. Think about which platforms your ideal clients are on and cultivate a following there!
Fail to direct content towards ideal client: An important part of marketing effectively is visualizing your ideal customer and creating content for them. This intentional marketing will attract the customers that you want to work with! Kayla recommends first creating a detailed buyer persona for your ideal client, then building your website and creating content that is centered around this person. Create content that is both interesting and easy to engage with, then post it on the social platforms your ideal client is on.
Marketing is hard without attractive images. Kayla recommends hiring a professional photographer to photograph your products, services, and staff. Kayla says, “It’s hard to create compelling social media content and an engaging presence without good photos!” Represent your brand better by partnering with a professional photographer!
With these common branding mistakes and how to fix them in mind, you are empowered to reach your target audience better and build the business of your dreams!
If you are looking for a professional photographer to help you elevate your small business’ image, I’d love to connect! Click the link below to find out more about how I can help you and your brand.
Although Kayla is not taking new clients at this time, she is always up for a brainstorming session and would be happy to answer your marketing questions! E-mail her at kaylaalmonmarketing@gmail.com.
-Elizabeth A.