Why is it important to build a brand?

Wikipedia will tell you that a brand is the "name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's product distinct from those of other sellers." Marketers know that a brand is so much more. It’s a promise to the customer. You know what you’ll get when you purchase that brand. Take Apple. You know you’ll get a cutting-edge tech product that’s well-designed and easy to use. And comes in gorgeous packaging. Your brand is what sets you apart from the competition.
When small businesses compete with larger, more established companies — with bigger budgets — they need a secret weapon. Some companies do this with a revolutionary business model, like Nest or Trunk Club. While others rely on their unique personality like Blue Bottle Coffee or Virgin America. Either way, it’s all about creating a competitive advantage and stand out above the crowd.
Brands need to be unique, memorable, and consistent. And visible. But traditional broad reach advertising isn’t usually an option for growing companies with little or no dedicated ad spend. So, how do today’s small business go about building their brands? Through social channels, online reviews, smart public relations, and search engine optimization. And through awesome customer service.

Make awesome service your secret weapon.

Customer service can help you strengthen your relationships with customers, even when these relationships are at their most fragile. It’s an opportunity to show customers you care about them because you listen and respond quickly. In fact, many customers prefer to do business with SMBs — even if it costs more — because having a relationship with a person, and putting a face to the business is meaningful to them.
Consider GetFeedback, which makes engaging, mobile-ready online surveys. The company competes in a crowded market with heavy competition, but considers customer service to be a key part of its differentiation. By offering simple self-service support and lightening-fast response times — often from the company’s founders themselves — GetFeedback has built a well-respected brand in a short amount of time.

Use customer support to extend your voice.

Customer service can also help you promote a unique brand personality which makes customers feel connected with your brand and more likely to engage with you, which translates to increased loyalty. Some of the most successful startups blend their standard responses with personalized communications to reinforce their unique and memorable characteristics.
Like BarkBox, a monthly subscription box of treats, toys and products for the family pooch, which empowers its support team to extend their brand through every communication with customers. BarkBox’s agents are encouraged to add life to outbound emails with phrases like “pooches gracias” and “pawesome” that convey their brand personality even while corresponding about less sexy things like shipping status.

Use service to gain evangelists.

Who doesn’t judge a product by who else is using it? In the past, companies scrambled for celebrity endorsements. If Michael Jordan wore Nike sneakers, then legions of school kids needed to also. Today, customers are more likely to be influenced by their friends and peers and to judge a brand by who is using it. That’s why it’s so important to look at every interaction as a brand building moment. Just about everyone’s heard the stat that it costs five times more to get a new customer than to retain an old one. But also remember, any marketing that your customers do on your behalf is absolutely free.
Although it’s easy for small companies to delay putting a customer support solution in place, it can be the secret weapon that helps your business stand out from the crowd. Start smart and make customer service part of your DNA from day one.