When you’re running a small business, there are a number of limitations which you have to overcome in order to stay afloat in an increasingly competitive global arena. One of the biggest challenges you’ll have to face is that your brand will be inherently weaker than many of the larger competitors you’ll be up against. However, that doesn’t mean you have to sit there and take it! Here are some of the ways you can add a little more prestige to your small business’s brand.
First of all, tell your customers your story. It’s a pretty common misconception that prestige is something that has to be earned over time. Sure, some of the most prestigious brands in the world have been in their field for decades. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to bide your time to increase your level of prestige. By telling your customer base all about how you turned your idea into a real, functional business, you’ll be able to tie a massive amount of prestige to it. If there’s one thing that binds all people together, it’s that they love stories. When someone in your target market can read about how you started out, and all the challenges you had to overcome to get where you are today, if will do a lot to build respect for you and your brand. You can find a few handy pointers on telling a company story at http://www.wordstream.com/
Next, consider a change of address. I’m not saying that you have to start packing and setting out plans to actually move everything to a new location. I mean exactly what I say; consider a change of address! When prospective clients or partners see a residential address in some quaint little village, it can give off a brand identity that’s lacking professionalism. I know, this is completely unfair! Countless successful businesses have been started from people’s bedrooms, and this is becoming even more prevalent now in 2016. Although rootless, this prejudice certainly exists. If you think your address may be chasing away business, consider using a virtual office service such as this one: www.yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk .
Finally, make a point to sound a little more professional in your correspondence. Running a business professionally and sounding professional naturally go hand in hand. When you’re networking with potential partners, communicating with influential clients, or even posting on social media, you need to make sure that you’re adopting the right tone. Obviously, the tone you use in your correspondence will only get you so far, and it needs to be backed up with real results. However, once you adopt a professional tone to communicate with the right people, they’ll start to take your brand more seriously, and your professional reputation will spread through all the right circles. Just exercise discretion while you’re doing this. If you’re running an indie coffee shop, you’re only going to chase away business by writing Facebook posts in a dour, professional tone.
Follow these steps, and you’ll be able to inject a huge amount of prestige into your brand!