The Kickass Entrepreneur
  • About
  • Blog
    • All Blogs
    • Create Wealth (Investing)
    • Entrepreneur Interviews
    • Featured Top Posts
    • Growing Profits
    • Growing Revenues
    • Marketing
    • Positive State of Mind
    • Real Estate Investing
    • Retirement
    • Sales
    • Selling your Business
  • Book
  • Courses
  • Podcast
  • Resources
  • Contact
The Kickass Entrepreneur
Subscribe
The Kickass Entrepreneur
  • About
  • Blog
    • All Blogs
    • Create Wealth (Investing)
    • Entrepreneur Interviews
    • Featured Top Posts
    • Growing Profits
    • Growing Revenues
    • Marketing
    • Positive State of Mind
    • Real Estate Investing
    • Retirement
    • Sales
    • Selling your Business
  • Book
  • Courses
  • Podcast
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • All Blogs
  • Growing Revenues

7 Common Branding Mistakes Most Small Businesses Keep Making

  • January 4, 2022
  • 15.4K views
  • 5 minute read
  • Jeff Wiener
Share
Tweet
Share

In May 2014, our company designed our new brand, tagline, positioning statement, and brand guidelines.

Two days after we launched, someone needed to create a PowerPoint presentation.  To get the logo to fit into a tight spot, someone reduced the width of the logo by 50%, kept the height the same, and squished the logo into the document. Not that’s what I call a branding mistake.

And that was two days after we launched.

I often found myself acting as our company’s internal branding police fixing not just this branding mistake & problem, but, many others.  I was constantly overseeing a long list of branding mistakes which constantly bothered me.

Here’s what I learned: If you’re not super vigilant about maintaining your company’s professionalism, things can quickly get out of hand.

A certain level of decorum and professionalism needs to appear in all of your business communication, including the way your staff emails your customers, formats your testimonials, and dresses for video meetings.

Below, I’ve listed seven items (in no particular order) that I find particularly bothersome. If your company is committing these branding violations, then it’s time to call the internal branding police to fix, and stop these branding mistakes from happening in the first place.

7 Common Branding Mistakes Most Small Businesses Keep Making

Love and Business Don’t Mix

And no, I’m not referring to internal office dalliances. (That’s an entirely different discussion.) Rather, I’m talking about using the word “love” in the context of a business email or voicemail.

When I was in grade school, I had an English teacher who actually penalized any student who used the word “nice” in a paper or on a test. She wanted us to expand our vocabulary, and use words that were more descriptive than “nice.”

Even though it was extreme, her insistence has stuck with me all these years, so I still make a conscious effort not to use that word. Whenever I see or hear the word “nice,” I immediately think of that teacher. In fact, I don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong with the word “nice”, other than it’s not that descriptive. But because of my teacher, it sets off a Pavlovian negative reaction in me.

Likewise, whenever I see the word “love” in a business email or voicemail, I’m immediately turned off. (No pun intended.)

Consider a salesperson sending me an email that says, “I would love to connect with you to discuss our products.” OK, just because you’d love to, does that mean it’s something I’m interested in doing? And if I’m not, do I have to agree anyway?

I use the word “love” very discriminately. For instance, I say it when I talk to my immediate family.

I would LOVE it if sales and businesspeople stopped using that word. It doesn’t have a place in business communications. In an ad (or a blog article about word choice) perhaps, but not in a business email.

Spell-check

For goodness’ sakes, please spell my name correctly.

It’s not “Jeffery.”  It’s Jeffrey, and I prefer Jeff anyway.

Check your email before clicking send. I enjoy using Grammarly so much that I’ve signed up for the premium service. Spell-check is a standard feature on most email programs and word processors. The basic package is free, and it includes spell-check.  Try it.

Email Formatting – The Common Small Business Email Mistake

The appearance of your email is important. It should be formatted appropriately. Make it look professional. The spacing between lines, sentences, and paragraphs should be consistent. Same thing with fonts and capitalizations. Capitalize the words that should be capitalized, and use the same font (ideally, the same corporate font) for all business emails.

Logos – Don’t Squish Your Logo

Does your company have a professionally designed logo?

If not, get one.

If you do (which I’m guessing 99% of you do), remember the example from the intro of this article: It isn’t OK to bastardize the font because you’re trying to cram it into a letterhead or PowerPoint presentation.

Grammar – This is Easy to Fix

Especially if English is your second language, grammar could be a more challenging problem for you than others on this list. You don’t need to be a wordsmith and follow the Chicago Manual of Style. But if you have difficulty with grammar, definitely sign up for the paid version of Grammarly, or hire a freelance editor. You can fix this one quite easily with a free Grammarly account.

Sloppy Dress

I’m not very concerned about how my staff dresses in the office, but if they need to present to clients, then it’s very important that they look clean, presentable, and professional. 

Answering the Phones – Answer Professionally

It’s important that you consider how your company answers the phones. The way you greet your customers is part of your branding.

Do you have an automated attendant that dumps the caller into a long list of menu options? Or do you allow the caller to press “0” to reach an operator?

How about your call center? Do you make callers wait on hold for 20 minutes to speak with an agent?

How does your staff answer the phones? A simple “hello” just isn’t sufficient. Every staff member needs to at least give his or her name. For instance, my minimum greeting is, “Jeff Wiener speaking.” Ideally, I warmly say, “Good Morning, thanks for calling. You’ve reached Jeff. How can I help you?”

Summary

If you’re not super vigilant about the points I address above, your staff may take a path of laziness, rudeness, or even ineptitude. And that’s assuming that everyone wants to do a great job in his or her role, and that no one is intentionally committing a brand faux pas.

__________

My goal is to help entrepreneurs scale their business, improve profitability, and then, use those profits to create massive wealth. Subscribe to my blog to receive my latest thought on scaling your business and creating wealth.

Download my book and Amazon bestseller (number 1 in business, number 2 in non-fiction).  You can get your FREE copy here.

Thank you for your interest in THE KICKASS ENTREPRENEUR'S GUIDE TO INVESTING. Three Simple Steps to Build Massive Wealth with your Business's Profits. Please check your email to confirm the book download. Form: 400529

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Related Posts:

  • 4 Common Contractor Mistakes: How to Avoid Them
  • 6 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Facing an IRS Tax Audit
  • Five Common Mistakes Parents Make After Buying Their Children Phones and…
  • Effortless Digital Signage and Branding Solutions for Your Small Business
  • 5 of the Biggest Mistakes a Small Business Can Make, and How to Avoid Them
  • Small Businesses Should Know About These Marketing Tactics
Share
Tweet
Share
Related Topics
  • brand
  • logos
  • marketing
Jeff Wiener

Previous Article
a man typing on his laptop with wifi images at the top
  • All Blogs

Picking a Professional to Build Your Site

  • January 3, 2022
  • Rene
View Post
Next Article
a man shooting a video
  • All Blogs

How to Hire the Right Video Production Company for Your Business 

  • January 4, 2022
  • Rene
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • All Blogs

Vue.Js Vs React: What Business Owners Should Choose for Their Apps

  • May 19, 2022
  • Meg Rivera
backlinks
View Post
  • All Blogs

Did Toxic Backlinks Sink Your Website? 5 Ways on How to Recover

  • May 19, 2022
  • Meg Rivera
girl writing content
View Post
  • All Blogs

The Secret App Tools to Writing Content Well: How to Choose the Best One for You

  • May 19, 2022
  • Meg Rivera
View Post
  • All Blogs

9 Essential Financial Management Strategies for Business Owners

  • May 18, 2022
  • Meg Rivera
View Post
  • All Blogs

Top Tips on How to Retain Your Customers

  • May 17, 2022
  • Meg Rivera
men typing
View Post
  • All Blogs

4 Tips and Tricks to Make Your Remote Employees More Productive and Engaged

  • May 17, 2022
  • Meg Rivera
View Post
  • All Blogs

7 Ways To Build Your Confidence in the Business World

  • May 16, 2022
  • Meg Rivera
open signage
View Post
  • All Blogs

Stealth Tactics for Entrepreneurial Success

  • May 16, 2022
  • Meg Rivera

Join 6,472 Entrepreneurs That Get My Business Building and Wealth Creation Posts by Email

I can teach you how to build a successful, profitable business, and turn that into millions in personal wealth.

Thank you for your interest in THE KICKASS ENTREPRENEUR'S GUIDE TO INVESTING. Three Simple Steps to Build Massive Wealth with your Business's Profits. Please check your email to confirm the book download. Form: 400529

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Recent Posts
  • 1
    Vue.Js Vs React: What Business Owners Should Choose for Their Apps
    • May 19, 2022
  • man doing lecture 2
    10 Different Ways to Acknowledge, Celebrate, and Reward Your Staff
    • May 19, 2022
  • backlinks 3
    Did Toxic Backlinks Sink Your Website? 5 Ways on How to Recover
    • May 19, 2022
  • girl writing content 4
    The Secret App Tools to Writing Content Well: How to Choose the Best One for You
    • May 19, 2022
  • Best-online-stock-broker 5
    5 Best Brokers For Penny Stocks with Great Track Record
    • May 18, 2022
Featured Posts
  • how to become wealthy
    The Entrepreneur’s Secret to How to Become Wealthy and Build a Personal Fortune
  • Most Profitable Small Businesses
    27 of the Most Profitable Small Businesses to Open in 2022
  • Become a Decamillionaire
    How to Become a Decamillionaire, Grow your Net Worth to $10 Million, and Join the 1% Club
Categories
  • All Blogs (849)
  • Canadian Financial Products (4)
  • Create Wealth (Investing) (106)
  • Entrepreneur Interviews (21)
  • Featured Post for Main Menu (4)
  • Featured Top Posts (23)
  • Financial and Investment Calculators and Economic Data (81)
  • Fitness (1)
  • Growing Profits (60)
  • Growing Revenues (98)
  • Growing Revenues (63)
  • Marketing (77)
  • Millionaire and Business owner interviews (2)
  • Positive State of Mind (64)
  • Real Estate Investing (13)
  • Retirement (13)
  • Reviews (12)
  • Sales (14)
  • Sell Me This Pen (7)
  • Selling your Business (13)
  • Startup Ideas (6)
  • Technology (8)
  • Top Products (4)
  • Uncategorized (44)
Follow us
Author
Jeff Wiener
Jeff sold his company to private equity in 2017 and is now semi-retired. Jeff spends time…

    CHECK OUT MY BLOG, AND SUBSCRIBE

    about
    The Kickass Entrepreneur

    Expand Your Business, Improve Profits, Create Wealth

    Expand your business, improve your profits, and create wealth. Each one of the three can be elusive goals. Follow the right steps, and you, too, can create financial independence. It is possible … you just have to take the right steps.
    NAVIGATION
    • About
    • Blog
      • All Blogs
      • Create Wealth (Investing)
      • Entrepreneur Interviews
      • Featured Top Posts
      • Growing Profits
      • Growing Revenues
      • Marketing
      • Positive State of Mind
      • Real Estate Investing
      • Retirement
      • Sales
      • Selling your Business
    • Book
    • Courses
    • Podcast
    • Resources
    • Contact
    TAGS
    apartment BATNA Business business failure business growth business sale Capitalization Rate CAP Rate cash cash flow Creating Wealth Discipline entrepreneur entrepreneurship excel Featured goal setting Growing Business investing investment real estate M&A marketing Marketing KPIs Mergers and Acquisitions | M&A | Entrepreneur Blog Millionaire millionaire next door mistakes MUR Negotiation Peter Principle Profit profitability real estate retirement revenue Revenues sales sales management Semi-Retirement Blog | Entrepreneur Blog | Small Business Blog small business Stagnant stocks success Thomas Stanley wealth
    RECENT ARTICLES
    • man doing lecture
      10 Different Ways to Acknowledge, Celebrate, and Reward Your Staff
      • May 19, 2022
      • No comments
    • online teaching
      How To Make Money With Online Courses: Learn From The Billionaire Way
      • May 18, 2022
      • No comments
    • cyrptocurrency
      How Investing From Home Is Made Easier Using ASIC Miners From CoinMining Direct
      • May 18, 2022
    • sofa
      10 Cheap Renovations That Can Add Value to Your Property
      • May 16, 2022
    • keys
      Understanding the Different Types of Investment Properties
      • May 13, 2022
    • cryptocurrency
      How Investing From Home Is Made Easier Using ASIC Miners From CoinMining Direct
      • May 13, 2022
    The Kickass Entrepreneur
    • Coaching
    • Book
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Disclaimer
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn

    Input your search keywords and press Enter.