Seeing signs that your business is growing is a fantastic feeling. However, as the numbers start to increase, so does the list of tasks and duties. As your focus is shifted to the rising amount of sales and inevitable number of customer service issues and inventory management duties, it can be easy to lose track of the details that made your brand attractive to customers in the first place.
It is important that you keep the brand identity of your growing business on the same track. After all, failing to create a cohesive perception and experience can cause your growth trajectory to stop right in its tracks. According to a study by Lucidpress, if a business becomes inconsistent in their branding, it creates confusion, damages its credibility, and can even slow down the sales cycle because of the distrust that it creates with consumers.
So, how can you keep focused on the things that matter the most during times of exponential growth?
Let’s discuss.
Maintain that Small Company Feel
Often times, the details that brought in customers in the first place are the first to go once a business starts making it big. Factors like extra personalized care, helpful customer service reps, or post-sale follow ups can be tricky to maintain as the business grows. However, these details are the things that create a memorable brand identity that spurs loyalty and positive sentiment, fueling growth.
First of all, you need to define the most important details that made your brand special in the first place.
What are the ways that your brand makes customers feel important or drawn to your service or product?
Which details matter the most to your customers?
You may want to conduct some market research with your current customer base to establish which aspects of your brand are making the strongest impact on sentiment and conversions.
Once these details have been determined, be sure that everyone on your team has the tools and resources available to keep themselves organized in order to provide the same level of care and service as they did in the beginning. It is important to maintain that small business feeling, even though it may not be so small anymore. Going the extra mile to make customers feel important may become more difficult, but the effort is certainly worth it to preserve your brand’s reputation.
As your list of customers grows, it may be best to introduce a company-wide CRM system that creates a shared database of consumer information, such as personal data or past interactions. Other automation tools for personalized email follow-ups may also be necessary to keep up with the growing number of converting customers.
Keep Your Brand’s Personality at the Forefront of Marketing
Of course, as your business grows, you will need to add talent to your marketing team. However, as this team expands to keep up with growing demand and reach bigger markets, be sure that they understand your brand down to the smallest detail. Losing sight of your brand’s personality could create conflicting messages and ultimately hurt your growth.
Although you may want to experiment with new content or messaging to reach wider audiences, it is important that the core values of your brand remain the same. Make vision boards and create a picture of what your brand is, and more importantly, what it is not. This needs to go a step beyond just the color scheme, typography, and overall aesthetic that your brand uses. You need to really identify how you want your brand described and the details of its personality before your team starts to create new content.
Your brand identity is unique and you want to keep it that way, even as its popularity grows. Look for ways to maintain this while reaching wider audiences. In the beginning, you may want to set up an approval process for each piece of content to ensure that it is cohesive with the brand guidelines.
Keep in mind, this is not to say that your brand cannot change or expand in order to relate to new audiences. However, rapid growth is not always the time for total re-haul or a sudden move in a new direction. Keep the focus on the core of your mission and make sure that every change is still in alignment with the brand identity.
Cultivate a Healthy Internal Culture
The internal temperature of your business’s culture has a greater influence on its growth and brand perception than you may think. According to Deloitte’s report, 82% of business leaders believe that a great company culture is a competitive advantage that can help a brand stand out from the competition. Furthermore, this study also concluded that when a business was viewed as a good company to work for, it helped improve its image with customers.
The way that your business operates internally will be reflected in your branding. Happy employees are more productive and more likely to advocate for their business through personal recommendations or social media posts. Employee engagement is important not only for business purposes, it can be influential over the customer experience as well. According to a report from Northwestern University, customers reported higher satisfaction rates when they interacted with employees that were highly engaged.
As your business grows, be sure that you are doing all you can to support your team by offering help when needed and recognizing jobs well done.
Conclusion
Rapid growth in a business is a sign that things are going right and that customers are satisfied. However, any changes or mistakes during this time could slow down, stop, or even reverse that trajectory.
Be sure that you understand the things that make the brand so successful in the first place. Look for ways to maintain good relationships with customers, stick to a cohesive brand voice, and focus on the internal culture to maintain a healthy business through during times of exponential growth.
About the Author!
Manish Dudharejia, is the President and Founder of E2M Solutions Inc, a San Diego Based Digital Agency that specializes in White Label Services for Website Design & Development and eCommerce SEO. With over 10 years of experience in the Technology and Digital Marketing industry, he is passionate about helping online businesses to take their branding to the next level.
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