Branding 101 for Small Businesses

This free online marketing course takes you through the steps involved in building a likable and memorable brand on a limited budget to help your small business make a profit. We can help you become a more strategic entrepreneur and equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to succeed. We cover the core fundamentals of successful marketing and branding for small companies, starting with an explanation of what branding is and what it isn't. This single understanding can set you apart from other businesses as they get misled by tactics that don't matter to the customer. Once we’ve established the basic principles of branding, we go through the steps every new customer goes through to recognize your brand and buy your product. The course takes you through the ‘AIDA’ process that tracks awareness, interests, desires and action and demonstrates how to set up your business for each step.

We also explain how to research, analyze and define your target customers' wants and needs to develop a ‘unique selling proposition’ (USP) that grabs their attention. We demonstrate how to conduct a ‘SWOT’ analysis that identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This provides competitive intelligence for winning over your competition's customers while satisfying market demands. The course helps you to develop your brand vision, mission, values and an interesting story that connects with your customers and sells your product emotionally.

Once you’re confident about laying solid foundations for your brand, we go through examples and case studies of the development of the world's most successful brands, including Nike, Apple and Coca-cola to demonstrate how to build a unique and bold personality around your brand that connects with customers. This can attract a specific group of premium customers and convince them to buy more of your products. We delve into the tactics surrounding the creation of your brand’s visual elements: choosing a logo, picking the right colour palette and taking professional product photographs. This course arms you with proven strategies, tools and tactics to build a small business brand on a minimal budget. We can help you make a name for your company and set it on the path to success.