After a year of deep market research into my best client, I came up with interesting results: people say they know branding is your message, but still really think it’s just your colors and logos. I dive into the WHY of this in this episode.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

* Why you need a brand even if you can’t define what branding is (and why you’re in good company if you’re in that second boat)

* What branding can do for your business growth

* Where “branding basics” like your colors and logos fall into the reality of branding a small business

* The importance of market research in understanding your audience and your best client

* The three fundamental truths of visibility in the online business world

* How to move out of the bootstrapping stages

* What you need to know whether your DIYing your brand or hiring it out

* Next steps if you want to move beyond the basics

QUOTABLES:

“Your branding tells the world why you’re different than the next guy up the road–and why you’re the better choice.” – @britneygardnerClick To Tweet

“Knowing you need to move beyond a basic logo and color palette to achieve business growth is different from doing it.” – @britneygardnerClick To Tweet

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the best at what you do. It only matters if enough people think so.” – @britneygardnerClick To Tweet

“Your branding tells the world why you’re different than the next guy up the road–and why you’re the better choice.” – @britneygardnerClick To Tweet

“Imagine an employee entirely devoted to sharing your big message with the world, and you’ve imagined your brand in the flesh.” – @britneygardnerClick To Tweet

“The idea that you’ll invest in branding once you’ve “made it” is a false premise. ” – @britneygardner