Branding for the small business owner is an incredibly important part of marketing your business. You want your customers to think of you first, to trust you, and to ultimately purchase from you. A small business owner’s most powerful branding tool is their personality, which will also be interpreted by customers and prospects as the business personality.

Here are a few great ways to use the internet to express your personality:

Blogs are a super easy way to both communicate with your customer and to offer them value. Every business can benefit from having a blog, which is simply a way to teach your readers something new and to form a relationship with them. A blog has the added benefit of being interactive, with the reader posting comments or questions to which the writer can then respond.

Video is rapidly becoming one of the most popular marketing tools for small business owners with the popularity of YouTube. For some business owners, speaking is easier than writing and it gives you the same ability to communicate with your prospects and customers as a blog does. In fact, you can upload a video to your regular blog to mix up the content and to give your audience a new perspective.

Audio precedes video as a marketing tool however it is still very popular. When you’re speaking to your prospects and customers, about any subject relevant to your industry, your personality comes through in your voice, your inflections, and even in the words you choose. Audio is also a popular choice because your messages can be downloaded to an mp3 player so your clients can take your words with them through their day.

Content is an excellent form of personality marketing and many forms, such as ebooks, articles, reports and ezines, are viral. Viral simply means the information can all be forwarded to friends and associates of your prospects thus increasing your reach and your exposure.

Using pictures on your website helps you connect with your clients. Ever flip to the back page of a book to see what the author looks like? I do it all the time. Why? Curiosity. I just want to know what the author looks like. The same holds true for your business. A picture of you as the owner and pictures of your team help visitors connect with you as a person.

Social networking gives business owners the ability to connect with people on an entirely different, non-sales, level. You can establish a profile on any number of networking sites, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, and meet, greet, and connect with prospects, customers, and even potential future business partners. Social networking is personality branding kicked up a notch.

Branding is a continuous process and for the small business owner it means more than a logo and a catchy name. Your website is often the first impression a customer gets before making a decision to use you or not. Include an About page, Company Philosophy, or Mission Statement on your website for customers to read. Small business branding is all about connecting with your customer on a personal level and the internet has made it easy and accessible for all.

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