As a Top Chicago Branding Agency take it from us when we tell you that Branding is about creating the face of your business. Determining what you want your brand to exude to the public eye through name discovery, logo design, website development, content creation and giving it a voice, tone and recognizable personality.

That being said, this can take a long time and a hefty price tag. So how can a business make this happen on the cheap? Below we’ll talk about Branding Basics to focus on and some ways you can get it done in-house without hiring an agency.

Brainstorm with your team to discover what symbol you want consumers to identify with your brand. There are a lot of tools out there to use and if you are proficient in graphic design, you have a leg up! Or a budget-friendly way would be to hire a freelance designer on Fiverr.

This is the face of your business and you need it to reflect that…make it easy to read, easy to navigate and concise. A lot of business owners develop their own websites through platforms such as Squarespace and Wix.

From email blasts to direct mail such as postcards, brochures and catalogs, marketing collateral and important takeaways. Similar to logo design, there are a lot of tools to create these materials and you can easily get mass amounts printing easily at FedEd Ex Kinkos, Vistaprint or a variety of other options.

Visuals are key and these are necessary for your website, marketing materials and especially social media. You need to create a lot of content and refresh regularly. Smartphones are an easy way to do this, plus apps help to enhance both photos and video. Check out photoshop apps, plus iMovie to make your quick creations look like professional masterpieces.

This is very important, as social media pages have become website replacements for a lot of businesses or like a second website. Consumers come here for information, to ask questions, etc. Make sure you are represented on a variety of platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and more.

These are all key areas of branding that can be done internally by businesses, but please remember, it takes a lot of time, patience and effort. Most businesses don’t have this extra time to devote, plus they need and want the expertise of professionals. But if you are feeling ambitious and want to spearhead your own branding, it can be done!

Founded in 2005, Bettie Bomb is a Branding Agency Based in Chicago. We offer a suite of services from trusted industry partners under one creative umbrella. Nonprofit PR, Marketing, Social Media and beyond…we work as an extension of your team, creating personalized campaigns, building awareness and telling your story when it matters most.

We are a Boutique Chicago Branding Agency specializing in all things lifestyle: food, fashion, hospitality, retail, health & wellness, medical, consumer and philanthropy. Partners Rebecca Kussmann & Laura Collins work closely with businesses & organizations to target key audiences and generate exposure all under the Bettie Bomb umbrella. Work one-on-one or have us build a team. We can be BIG and we can be small…that’s the beauty of it. Small, but mighty with the ability to grow. That’s us in a nutshell.