Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Key Takeaways
- Most small businesses either overspend on branding that doesn’t build real value or underspend in ways that hold them back.
- Your goal should be to build a brand that compounds in value over time, much like a smart financial investment.
- The best brands are built through consistent, measured actions that create trust, credibility and differentiation over time.
Every business owner knows that branding matters. But the hard truth is that most small and mid-sized businesses either overspend on things that don’t actually build equity, or they completely underspend in ways that keep them from ever standing out.
The goal with your branding should be to build a brand that compounds in value over time, much like a smart financial investment. Here are my tips to strengthen your brand presence while keeping your ROI in mind.
1. Reframe your branding efforts as an investment with its own ROI
Before spending a dollar, it’s worth reframing what brand investment actually means.
Your brand isn’t just about how your brand appears visually, but more importantly, it is the sum of how people perceive you. Your brand perception directly affects your pricing power, sales velocity and client retention, so when you invest in your brand, you’re building long-term equity that makes every other part of your business perform better.
But just like any investment, not every brand spend produces equal return. The key is to focus on high-impact moves that align with your revenue goals and audience.
Lastly, once you make investments, actually use what you invested in. Almost half of small businesses with brand guidelines say they don’t even use them, which is the biggest waste of investment of all.
2. Start with the basics
A common (and costly) mistake is jumping straight into elaborate design or brand-building efforts before defining the basics. Before you start with anything else, you need to define your target audience, the problem you solve for them and how you stand out from the competition.
This clarity forms the foundation for every brand decision that follows. Without it, you’ll waste time and money on messaging or visuals that don’t connect, or worse, need to redo them in six months.
If you’re still early-stage, invest in brand strategy before visuals. A half-day session with a strategist may run you $500-$1,000, but it can save you tens of thousands in misaligned creative work down the road.
3. Prioritize long-term assets over trends
When budgets are tight, it’s easy to chase short-term wins that feel like lifelines — expecting a new logo to draw in new clients or a viral campaign to get you more visibility. These things sound shiny, but in reality, the smartest brand investments are ones that keep paying dividends for years.
Focus on assets that scale with your business, such as a brand guide and brand voice document, professional photography and a professional website that’s SEO-optimized.
These are assets that will benefit your team for a long time and will be most likely to pay off in time.
4. Spend strategically rather than sentimentally
Many founders make emotional brand decisions like picking design elements they personally love or chasing an aesthetic that feels “premium.” It’s important to avoid choosing your brand based on your own taste and instead think about each decision strategically.
As you’re working on your brand, consider how you’re going to measure success. One way you could measure success is to make your brand something that lasts, so you don’t have to redo it or it doesn’t age as quickly. Another is how it will make you stand out against your industry competitors, so you can get the benefit of brand recognition.
As you’re evaluating brand investments, consider the strategic value of each over the medium-to-long term. If the decision doesn’t tie back to measurable business value, it’s likely not the right investment, at least right now.
5. Budget for brand maintenance as well
Brands are investments that have to be maintained consistently. Set aside a few percentage points of your annual revenue for ongoing brand upkeep. This can include updating your website for conversion or visual improvements as your business evolves — and if you do that, make sure those changes are consistent across platforms.
You can also do an audit of your client journey, pretending you’re a prospect and actually going through your sales and onboarding process to check for brand consistency.
These sorts of checks can ensure your brand doesn’t become outdated and that you don’t have to rebuild from scratch every few years. Just like a house, if you maintain it over time, it won’t get worn down.
6. Use data to track your brand’s ROI
Branding can feel intangible, but it does have tangible impact. There are measurable indicators that show whether your brand investments are paying off. Things to consider include:
-
Website conversion and engagement rates: How long are visitors staying on your site, and where on the site are they engaging? Are more visitors turning into leads?
-
Client retention and referrals: Are people coming back or recommending you?
-
Follower engagement rate: Are your audience interactions increasing on social media?
If those metrics improve after a brand investment, that’s real ROI. If not, use that data to refine where you continue to allocate funds.
7. Scale your investment alongside your growth stage
In the early stage, focus on establishing a credible, cohesive brand. That might mean $2,000-$5,000 for a simple, strategic setup.
As you grow, your focus shifts to consistency, recognition and authority. Reinvest 5-10% of your annual revenue into scaling your brand presence through upgraded visuals, content and systems.
By the time you hit multi-six or seven figures, you’ll likely outgrow your original assets. A full rebrand ($10,000-$25,000+) makes sense then, because you’ll have data to guide it and cash flow to support it.
Every financially smart brand investment is about compounding value. The best brands are built through consistent, measured actions that create trust, credibility and differentiation over time, so avoid the temptation for things that seem like quick wins.
Key Takeaways
- Most small businesses either overspend on branding that doesn’t build real value or underspend in ways that hold them back.
- Your goal should be to build a brand that compounds in value over time, much like a smart financial investment.
- The best brands are built through consistent, measured actions that create trust, credibility and differentiation over time.
Every business owner knows that branding matters. But the hard truth is that most small and mid-sized businesses either overspend on things that don’t actually build equity, or they completely underspend in ways that keep them from ever standing out.
The goal with your branding should be to build a brand that compounds in value over time, much like a smart financial investment. Here are my tips to strengthen your brand presence while keeping your ROI in mind.
