Is your brand more important than your clients?

Pick up any glossy magazine or national newspaper and you can find any number of adverts shouting out at you to grab your attention.  But take a closer look at many of these adverts and you’ll find that most of them actually haven’t grabbed your attention at all.

The majority of adverts you glaze over day in, day out are adverts selling brands.  Pictures of women drapped over cars, giggling babies sucking on cute toys or cleverly thought-out logos all put together in beautifully created designs.  But what are they trying to sell to you?

These types of adverts are trying to sell their brands. Nothing more and nothing less.  And big, internationally known brands have been doing this for decades – competing with each other to win awards and jostling to get the top spot in each publication.

But as a small business owner, is this how you want to spending your time and your money?  Advertising your brand? 

Or focusing on your clients? 

If you are spending money on adverts, leaflets or websites, the last thing you want to be doing is taking up precious space by selling your brand.  Yes, in the long term having a brand that is recogonisable and creates trust and respect in your clients’ eyes is important.  But don’t fall in to the trap of ego-advertising.

The most important person in what ever medium you decide to use to promote your business is your client. Not you. Not your business persona. Not your company logo [even though you may be very proud of it!!]. And not your colour scheme.

So check out your promotional material and what do you see at first glance?

Other articles you may be interested in:

1. 7 Steps to Attracting New Clients to Your Business
2. The 5 Marketing Rules for Small Business Owners in 2009