You know this already, but we're going to say it again since it's always good to get refreshers (ahem) a strong brand can and will separate you from everyone else — establishing fans that flows into a successful scaling effect.
However, as a startup, entrepreneur or small business owner, a game-changing brand strategy and design may feel out of reach.
No worries though. The good news is that effective branding doesn't need to break your budget. With cost-effective tools, a bit of creativity and a gut check, you can build an intentional brand without a hefty price tag.
This blog gives you:
- Tools list that are either free or on the cheaper side (including some of our favorites)
- Quick (and beneficial) methods for brand growth that won't kill your time or budget
OK, now let's frame branding on a budget.
Brand Dev Tools That Won't Break Your Budget
Regardless of your budget, there are so many tools out there that can help you create a professional and compelling brand that you can be proud of.
First, the crowd favorite: Canva
Canva is a powerful, easy-to-use tool that helps non-designers create professional-quality designs. You need logos? Boom! Business cards? Bam! A landing page? Boop! Social media posts? Shazam!
Basically, canva offers an insane amount of free designs and templates you can edit to align perfectly with your own Brand Framework.
Creative (and Mostly Free) Ways to Grow Brand Awareness
Building a brand that people instantly love isn't about a beautiful logo or delectable color palette.
There's so much more to it.
The biggest key is how your brand is perceived by your audience — which you can map out step-by-step in our Brand Framework Workbook. Use these to amplify your brand presence without demolishing your small budget or resources.
1. Social Media and Content Marketing
We all know this. Creating valuable, engaging content and sharing it on social media channels only costs you time and brain power but can give you some serious exponential gains. These are cost-effective ways of gaining brand exposure. Not only do they help attract potential customers, but they also position your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
But don't do social content like everyone else out there.
Neil Patel of NP Digital and his analysis of 5,204,391 social media posts found that 59.41% of them had no engagement 😱
That means it's time to switch it up BIG time if you want to get the attention of your people. Here are some top tips that stood out the most from NP's advice.
- Keep it fresh — Hard? Yes. But you can do this. Remember that you are unique and so is your audience. Show them your specific take on things that you and your brand are about and do. Share your personal experiences, etc. You got this.
- Don't fall for every trend — Go with what makes sense for YOUR brand. Not sure what trends apply to your business? Use your Brand Framework to direct you.
- Community is everything — Collab with your community of like-minded/like-business people. Amplify each other to big up growth as a collective.
- Go LIVE — Daunting? Maybe. But just like everything else, once you start it'll only get easier and better because you'll keep learning and growing.
2. Network and Collaborate
Have you found your village yet?
Join local business networks, attend industry events, participate in webinars, go to trade shows and simply talk to people just to get to know them as humans.
Keep it organic. Don't push or press. Just kekeke.
Yes, this can have some costs tied to it, but quality networking always pays back in spades. Collaborations can be mutually beneficial and help in expanding your brand's exposure to a much wider (and sometimes harder to connect with) audience.
And if you need support in making this as natural as breathing, then you need this.
3. User-Generated Content (UGC) is Your BFF
One great quote that we saw on fellow Atlantan branding agency Tantrum's website that has lived in our minds rent-free is this: When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.
Do you have an amazing offering that your people constantly gab about?
Then let the people tell it... with user-generated content.
- Social Challenge & Contest — do a contest or giveaway asking your people to show how they use your product in an unexpected way for a unique prize.
-
Hashtag Campaigns — Create a unique hashtag for your brand or a specific campaign and encourage customers to use it when posting about their experiences with your products or services. Feature the best posts on your social or website.
-
Collaborative Projects — Collaborate with customers and crowdsource designs or functionality for new products, packaging or ask your people to contribute ideas for a charity campaign.
-
Interactive Polls and Surveys — Use polls and surveys on social or your website to gather feedback from customers and involve them in decision-making processes. Share the results and insights with your audience to demonstrate transparency.
4. Using SEO to Your Advantage
Investing time in (or getting an expert for) optimizing your website for search engines will make it easier for potential customers to find you online. Incorporate relevant keywords into your websites' title tags, URLs, and content to improve visibility in search engine results.
Use these to make this easy (and free):
3. Hubspot for Email and More
Email marketing is where the majority of sales are made.
Have customer emails after they've bought from you? Now talk to them and keep them delighted not only about their engagement with your brand but also about life in general.
Bring light and life to their world. Make it bright and delightful the only way your brand knows how — refer to your Brand Framework for direction on how.
One of our favorite platforms for email marketing (and SO much more) is Hubspot. Use the free version (or the pretty cheap Starter Hub) to make nurturing your community easy.
And if you need help with getting inspired for what you can do and how? This is one of our favorite places to start 😍
Basically, branding on a budget doesn't have to mean compromising on quality or capabilities; it simply calls for resourcefulness, pivotal planning, and creativity.
With tools and shiftable strategies you can bolster your brand's exposure. So here's to making a memorable brand that resonates with your ideal people without burning your budget. Remember, success lies in consistency and patience, so keep your Brand Framework at hand to keep clear on your why, what and how across all platforms and interactions and you'll be just fine.
