The business landscape has probably never been more crowded than it is right now.

In fact, according to the “Business Statistics” research briefing published by the House of Commons Library, there were 5.6 million businesses in the UK alone in December 2021.

In an increasingly competitive environment, it’s more important than ever to build a recognisable brand so you can make your business as successful as possible.

When your customers need the product or service that you provide, you want to be the first brand they think of. And for that to happen, your brand needs to matter.

Here are four clever ways you can stop your brand from becoming irrelevant.

1. Keep your customers up to date with your business

The first thing you need to do is to keep your brand in your customers’ minds. Times move quickly and it can be difficult to keep up. That’s why it’s your job to make sure that your brand is always relevant and rolling with the punches.

A great way to do this is to communicate with your customers regularly. Whether this is through social media, email campaigns, or print and digital advertising, keep your customers up to date with news, products, and services to reinforce how your brand improves their lives.

Whatever mediums you choose, make your brand’s voice and message consistent. Your social feeds need to be on the same wavelength as your email communications, for example, so that customers or clients receive the same information about who you are and what you do, no matter where they hear it.

At the same time, it might be useful to create a mechanism that allows your customers to feedback to you, too. This might be through a survey, or by creating an email address for them to send comments to.

Listening to what your customers have to say can allow you to refine your brand so that it reflects the company they want to use for products and services.

2. Show your ingenuity

As part of keeping your brand relevant, you should think about what it is that makes your business different to those around it – and, crucially, communicate this through your brand.

It’s obviously very valuable to put effort into creating the best product or providing the most comprehensive service possible. This is what makes your customers and clients come back to you again and again.

But new customers need a reason to choose your products and services over another business’s. That’s why you need to actively show your ingenuity directly through your brand.

Think of some of the biggest, most innovative companies in the world. Businesses such as Apple and Tesla are known for trading on the ingenious products they make, both with market valuations in the trillions of dollars.

There are plenty of other companies producing smartphones and electric cars in the world. But these two have marketed themselves so carefully and thoughtfully that they’re now the go-to for millions of consumers.

Apple showcases its phones with slick adverts and clean, no-nonsense packaging that shows you how their products feel: intuitive and user-friendly.

Similarly, Tesla’s marketing doesn’t bore you with top speeds or the bells and whistles that you can access with one of their cars. Instead, it revolves around what it feels like to drive one of their vehicles, positioning themselves as the only choice for a truly luxury electric car.

Now, when you see that little apple with a bite taken out of it, or that shiny silver “T” badge, you think about the inventiveness of the companies that created those products.

Align your creativity and originality behind your brand in just the same way.

3. Have a positive impact on the world around you

Of course, staying relevant is about more than just creating a product and marketing it effectively. To make your brand matter, you need to show your customers that you care about more than just separating them from their money.

That means taking steps to make sure your business and brand has a positive impact on the world around you as far as possible.

There’s a whole host of different ways you could achieve this. For example, you could:

• Commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions
• Cut all plastic from your supply chain
• Donate to or participate in local charity events
• Promote diversity at the corporate level.

If you really wanted to demonstrate your good intentions for the wider community, you could consider applying for B Corp certification to give you some formal recognition.

B Corps are businesses that are recognised for their commitment in meeting high standards for elements such as social and environmental performance, and corporate accountability and transparency.

In this day and age, customers and clients increasingly vote with their pound. Make sure your brand is the first name on the business ballot paper by committing to raised social and ethical standards.

4. Making an impression in the business landscape

While your customers are your bread and butter, other businesses need to know who you are, too. That’s why you need to build a brand that’s recognisable and matters in your particular sector and industry.

There’s no shortage of options to doing this, but good starting points could be entering industry awards or actively contributing to magazines and other media that cover your sector.

This can help you to become a company that other business owners want to work and create partnerships with, knowing that your brand is one that customers trust and flock to.

Equally, you should also want to set the standards of other brands. Aspire to be the brand that similar businesses look to for inspiration when deciding how to make themselves matter.

Once other businesses see you as the standard they need to meet, you can be confident that you’ve built a recognisable, trustworthy, and seamless brand that matters in your sector.

Work with us

When you’re building a business with a brand that matters, the one thing you shouldn’t have to worry about is your financial situation.

So, if you’d like to work with a professional who can help you secure your finances, please do get in touch with us at Henwood Court.

Email info@henwoodcourt.co.uk or call 0121 313 1370 to find out how we can help you.