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Special Report

9 Wildly Effective Brand Communication Strategies to Grow Your Small to Medium Business

In 2020-2021, there was a 3.8% increase in the number of Australian businesses (that’s around 87,000 new businesses and counting)*. More and more innovators are turning their ideas into profitable ventures, and as the economy starts to recover from the effects of Covid-19, these businesses should be looking to streamline their marketing efforts. This includes implementing effective brand communication strategies that will help bring in new clients, retain existing clients and increase brand value and loyalty across all areas. Here are 9 wildly effective brand communication strategies for small to medium businesses that are often overlooked, all tried and approved by the Wolff Design crew…

(source: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/business-indicators/counts-australian-businesses-including-entries-and-exits/latest-release)

1 Social Media

Social media marketing is a seriously powerful tool when implemented correctly. Brand communication via social media can be distributed across any and all platforms. Generally, small to medium businesses will utilise social platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, with some venturing into Twitter, YouTube and even TikTok. LinkedIn can be used to find and professionally approach prospective clients and Facebook is a great platform for communicating updates to existing clients in a less formal fashion. Instagram is, of course, a fantastic platform to visually promote your products.

Tip: Ensure the brand identity of your business is reflected in your social media post planning. It may vary slightly across platforms, but your audience should feel as though they’re interacting with the same entity with every social media encounter.

2 EDMs/Newsletters

Programs like Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, Constant Contact and Sendinblue make keeping in touch with subscribers and managing EDM/newsletter send outs a cinch. These are a fantastic form of communication as they allow businesses of any size to reach a range of prospective and existing clients to share industry news, business updates, special offers, new products and services and more. Clients appreciate being kept in the loop and it’s also a great chance for you to include back links to your website to increase the flow of traffic.

Tip: When communicating via EDM, choose a regular mailing schedule and stick to it. For most businesses, a monthly newsletter update is generally a great option as clients won’t feel bombarded.

3 Cohesive Branding

Implementing cohesive branding across your various digital and physical assets is crucial to maintaining effective brand communication. Your clients want to know your story and allowing them to connect with your business at every possible opportunity is the best way to show them who you really are. Anyone looking from the outside in should be able to see visual link between your logo, website, flyers, signage, social media profiles, business cards and any other piece of client-facing collateral.

Tip: Engaging with a credible design company (like the team here at Wolff Design) is the best way to ensure your branding is fully cohesive, delivers a clear message of professionalism and is easy for your clients to comprehend, relate to and engage with.

4 In-Person Meetings

Of all the brand communication strategies in this list, in-person meetings may be the most valuable to both new and established businesses. Being able to communicate face-to-face with a client is the best way to forge a long-term relationship. Whether your account managers schedule regular check-ins with top-tier clients or your on boarding process for new clients involves an in-person meeting, you’ll always find that putting a face to a name adds a more personable touch to a client’s perception of your business.

Tip: Every client is different. Some may not feel comfortable with frequent face-to-face meetings. Others may enjoy a regular coffee catch up to discuss industry updates. Gauge each client separately and schedule face-to-face communication accordingly.

5 Podcast

No matter the industry your business exists within, podcasting is such a versatile platform that as long as the content you’re providing is well-researched, entertaining and informative, most podcast networks will welcome you with open arms. You don’t even have to start your own podcast to utilise this brand communication strategy. Many existing podcasts are looking for industry experts and business owners to fill guest spots on their shows. Becoming a regular or once-off “guestpert” on podcasts within your field of expertise is a great way to promote your business and communicate your thoughts and ideas to a wider audience.

Tip: If creating your own podcast is a viable option for your business, be sure to plan out a suitable podcast marketing strategy. Getting your podcast into the ‘New & Noteworthy’ category within the first few weeks is crucial to propelling its reach and follower count.

6 Blogs/News/Articles

Writing and sharing blog posts, news and articles that are accurate, easy to comprehend and helpful to your target market is not only an effective brand communication strategy, but it will help cement your business as a credible source of information within your sector.

Tip: Include Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) attributes like relevant keywords and headings in your posts to drive traffic to your website.

7 Websites

A website isn’t just a random space on the internet. A website is an online home for your business. 75% of consumers admit to making judgements on a company’s credibility based on the company’s website design. The vast majority of prospective clients will judge a business by how attractive, user friendly, accessible and relevant its website is. A website should communicate the most important aspects of the brand: its core values, its services and, of course, its story.

Tip: Ensuring a seamless, cohesive user experience through web design, graphics and copy is key to effective website brand communication.

8 Signage

From the biggest billboard to the smallest window decal, communicating with prospective and existing clients through signage is one of the oldest and most effective strategies in the book. Shopfront window decals make it easy for clients to find your office and signage on vehicles consistently puts your business in front of new audiences. As with all forms of brand communication, a cohesive approach is key.

Tip: Keep signage memorable and attention-grabbing. Big, bold branding elements and key information should be communicated but keep the finer details for in-person meetings and websites.

9 Repurposed Content

That’s right! You don’t need to create brand new content each time you want to communicate with your clients or followers. Sharing existing blog posts or articles to LinkedIn, creating Facebook posts that feature employee bios from your website and utilising testimonials in flyers and on signage are all fantastic examples of repurposing content.

Tip: This strategy will allow your business to save time, money and energy whilst still providing valuable information to the target audience.

Help your business stand out
in a sea of change

Here at Wolff Design, we believe that every business should have the opportunity to effectively communicate with their audience, no matter who that might be. Having worked within a diverse range of industry sectors from B2B and B2C markets including financial, medical, healthcare, real estate, agribusiness, technology (and more), we are confident that our industry knowledge is crucial to providing a top-tier design service for small to medium businesses that want to grow and are willing to invest in quality marketing that works.

Tip: Take a look at the work we’ve done recently for Collaroy Kitchen Centre, one of our long-standing clients and one of Sydney’s leading kitchen and joinery design teams.

Reach out to the Wolff Design team if you’re looking to improve your brand communication to inspire your target market to work with you!

Email us at [email protected] or call us on 02 9909 0800