The typical entrepreneur knows a little about a lot. They hustle swiftly, deliver quickly, and fail fast—all necessary components of earning the winning ticket. However, it’s in their best interest to know a little more, deliver a little better, and suffer a minor setback instead of a face-planting failure.
When it comes to building the total outward perception of your business—the brand—there are simple ways to surpass the status quo. There are also ways to quickly shoot yourself in the foot. You know some of the bare bones prerequisites (a website, a business card, a firm handshake—we get it.) But what you might not understand is the tremendous importance of creating an authentic image, an outlier among bland brands.
That means having impact, having something to say, and moreover, having something worth seeing. We’re humans selling to humans and our brands need to reflect that.
Reducing Clinical and Staff Burnout with AI Automation
As technology advances, AI-powered tools will increasingly reduce the administrative burdens on healthcare providers.
If you see a cookie-cutter brand image, using clipart or poorly executed elements, you aren’t going to be very enthusiastic about doing business with that company. You will begin to compare it to the competition, to what you’ve seen online and on television, and you will immediately start doubting this business’ integrity. It’s obvious we judge books by their covers; it’s a part of being human.
So take this knowledge and put it to your advantage. If something seems subpar to you, than right off the bat you need to recognize that your customers will probably think similar. If an outside opinion informs you that you suffer from poor branding, ask for specifics.
It’s been our agency’s experience that more than 90% of small business brands are poorly executed. We need to take all this technology, combine it with genuine expertise, and build the best brand possible if a business hopes to survive, let alone thrive.
One marketing must remains: powerful brands need to convey their novelty and strength across every single medium. From the billboard to the brochure and back, your branding needs to sing your praises. It is not in a company’s best interest to use photos, endless iterations, and inappropriate imagery in their branding if they hope to come across as trustworthy. All of the world’s greatest companies in the world pay close attention to their public image because they know it’s what drives business.
The Funding Model for Cancer Innovation is Broken — We Can Fix It
Closing cancer health equity gaps require medical breakthroughs made possible by new funding approaches.
Entrepreneurs caught up in the daily shuffle can quickly lose sight of that fact. And it’s a shame, since all of the exceptional work and sweat equity put into their life’s work becomes perceived as being less than what it truly is. Some of the greatest businesses die off before ever getting the chance to be seen because they don’t look worthy of your attention.
The truly masterful entrepreneur sees what an amazing asset their brand image really is, so they invest in it. Expert design, strategy, and development may seem like a waste of money, but it could end up being the best use of your funds to increase your value. People bent on success quickly realize that there are only so many hours in day and only so much wind in their sails. It’s in their best interest to seek out the experts, learn from them, and take the usually uncomfortable step into the driver’s seat of their brand’s true image.
However, there will come a point in time when they are forced to stand apart from the work they have done and evaluate. They will need to get into the heads of their customers and see like they do. And when that comes, they will either smile at what they see, or it will be too late.
Dan Antonelli is the CEO and creative director of New Jersey advertising agency Graphic D-Signs, Inc., The Small Business Advertising Agency®, and the author of Building A Big Small Business, available at www.amazon.com. For more information, visit www.graphicd-signs.com.
This post appears through the MedCity Influencers program. Anyone can publish their perspective on business and innovation in healthcare on MedCity News through MedCity Influencers. Click here to find out how.