Brand Building For Black Businesses

Written By: Amie Thompson

Amie Thompson, Creative Allies

Running a business is hard. Black business owners face challenges that other groups simply do not. A 2020 McKennsey study shows that “just 4% of Black-owned businesses are still in operation after three and a half years, compared with an average of 55.5% for all businesses.” That’s pretty daunting.

However, great marketing can help you beat these statistics by increasing awareness of your business and driving revenue. Hello Alice reports that after raising capital, marketing is the number two business challenge of Black businesses. Regardless of industry, business size, or offerings there are three things to master to build a successful brand.

Branding Versus Marketing 

Know the difference between branding and marketing. Both are critical to business growth, but are different.

Branding goes beyond your name and logo. Your brand is who you are, what you do, and how you add value. This may include visual identity, values, brand voice, and the experience you deliver to your clients.

Marketing is tactical and includes what you do to get your audience to find you, know you, and buy from you. Basically, marketing is how you promote your brand. This includes social media, websites, online advertising, speaking, and other tactics.

After you understand the difference between branding and marketing, then develop and execute your plan. 

Develop Your Personal Brand & Become A Thought Leader

As a small business owner, you are the brand. Creating a personal brand is as important as creating your business brand. 

The reason is simple. People do business with people they know and trust. Part of your personal brand and trust building can be done through thought leadership.

Thought leadership helps you position yourself as an expert. First, find a niche and own it. Identify a topic or problem to immerse yourself in and then share what you know with others. You can become the go to person for a specific niche. Becoming a thought leader isn’t hard, but takes planning, effort, and time.

Next, create content. We know that content is king. It is the best way to build an audience and build trust with that audience. You can write blogs on your website, get interviewed on podcasts, create videos, write blogs for others, and the list goes on. 

Create content in a way that provides maximum value to your target audience. Creating good content builds credibility & trust, grows your personal brand, fuels PR opportunities, and communicates your unique perspective. The key is to educate yourself and then educate your audience.

Over time, you’ll learn how to leverage thought leadership as a powerful marketing tool that can drive traffic to your website, grow followers on social media, and increase sales.

Promote Your Brand

Hiring a PR firm may not be an option - it can cost thousands of dollars a month with no guarantee of success. That just means you need to find creative ways to promote your brand. Here are a few ideas of free or low cost tactics.

Social Media is a great way to build an audience and engage with them. Remember to focus on educating and informing, not just selling.

Black Business Directories help you get your business noticed. People looking to work with black businesses need to easily find you. 

Google My Business is a page that allows people to find you online and has a great tool to capture customer reviews.

Free PR through sites like HARO give you an opportunity to be an expert resource when a reporter is in a bind and needs sources quickly. 

Networking is a must. Building relationships and trust can lead to referral business. Find the type of networking that works best for you.

As black entrepreneurs, it’s important to find simple tactics that help grow your business. Building a brand, both personally and for your company, is a great foundational place to start to help you to reach your business goals.

Learn more about Amie Thompson and Creative Allies creativeallies.com