This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of “MOLD CONNECTION” magazine.
Get it right and it’ll be the gift that keeps on giving
If I were to say to small business owners, “Developing a memorable brand is just as important to small companies as it is for large ones,” most would nod along in agreement.
However, as a customer of these businesses, their level of commitment may tell a different story. Too often, disjointed customer experiences lead to a sense of frustration or, more commonly, apathy. This is exactly what makes the business weak against competitors and highly unlikely to be a customer’s first thought the next time they come to make a purchase.
This leads me to an important point I want to stress: your business has to be viewed from the customer’s perspective, not you, as the owner. That means understanding the entire customer journey, from discovery to purchase, and even right through to the returns process.
“Your brand is everything your customer experiences – and you’ve got to think about it all.”
Without developing a recognisable brand, it’s hard for customers to remember you when it comes time to buy.
As a result, potential customers drift towards companies which have spent the time to develop a brand, usually without them realising they’re doing this. Customers are too busy getting on with the rest of their lives, and there are just too many other choices to consider, to devote much time deciding where to make the purchase. As a small business owner, this means you have to pull everything together to deliver a strong and memorable experience for your customers. And to keep doing so, every time, year after year.
Walk down the High Street in Mold and you have some great examples of brands which are distinctive and well-known – Costa and Specsavers, for example. You can easily recognise them in any town. Their “look” or visual style are distinctive. But there’s much more to branding than logos and colours – good branding also means consistent product quality; prices that matches the positioning of the brand in the market (for example, “high-end” and expensive but worth it); the brand “personality” (for example, witty and caring, like Specsavers); a memorable mascot or jingle; convenience and availability (like Amazon) and the quality of your customer service.
Simply put, your brand is everything your customer experiences – and you’ve got to think about it all.
Get it right and you become more memorable, to more customers, more of the time.
There are great branding examples in the North Wales area, too. Take Zip World in Conwy, The Boardroom in Queensferry, and The Waffle House on Earl Road in Mold. What they all have in common are distinctive products and services, clear visual identities and a brand “personality” – they’re easy to remember, provide consistently great customer experiences, and, as a result, they can all charge high prices. They don’t need discounted prices to drive customer demand. That’s where you want your brand.
Develop a strong brand and the value of your brand will compound over time.
Too many small businesses look, sound and position themselves like other small businesses. Replicating product features can be copied over time, but awareness and desire for a particular brand can’t.
If you’re just making a start, or want a complete refresh, the road can be quite long, and you’ll probably need some help along the way. If you’ve been in business for years, you may need to bring everything together in a cohesive way. Either way, it’s achievable, as the local examples demonstrate. The important point is to make a start and make a long-term commitment, and you’ll be able to reach that place whereby your brand is the gift that keeps on giving.
