4 Simple Exercises to Help You Define your Small Business Brand To Others
Read time: 7 Minutes
Introduction
As a small business owner, I completely understand how hard it is, to sum up your business in just a few words. It doesn’t matter how much passion you have for it; sometimes it can be tough to communicate what sets your business apart from the rest.Owning a small business takes devotion, elbow grease, and a whole lot of passion. When you pour your heart and soul into your business, you know why your product or service is worth buying. However, it can be hard to communicate this to potential customers. By clearly defining your brand, you make it easy for folks to understand why they should choose you. It’s a vital tool to persuade customers to support your brand. After all, if people don’t grasp what makes you special, why would they choose you over the competition?
This blog will help define your brand
Get ready to take your brand to the next level with this blog. I’ll guide you through what a brand is, help you define it, and provide four practical exercises to complete. These activities are designed to help you communicate your business pitch to consumers in the clearest and most effective way possible.
But What is a Brand?
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that distinguishes one seller’s good or service from those of other sellers.
- A brand is an intangible marketing or business concept that helps people identify a company, product, or individual.
- People often confuse brands with things like logos, slogans, or other recognizable marks, which are marketing tools that help promote goods and services.
- Brands are considered to be among a company’s most important and valuable assets.
- Companies can protect their brands by registering trademarks.
- Types of brands include corporate, personal, product, and service brands.
Will Kenton has a great video and content around what a brand is in his blog, Brand: Types of Brands and How to Create a Successful Brand Identity.
Billy’s definition of a brand.
A brand is a symbol to quickly identify a particular product. It’s a promise of value and a commitment of their values to the consumer.
Why Should I Care About Defining My Brand
Have you ever heard the saying, “Stand for something or fall for anything” by Alexander Hamilton? Well, defining your brand is similar! It’s setting the tone for what you stand for—the promise of how your goods or services will be provided and received. Your brand is like a stamp of approval to this promise, giving customers peace of mind when they purchase from you.By defining your brand, you turn it into a promise of quality and consistency. That’s why it’s essential to be clear on what your brand offers so people know what they’re getting when they buy or align themselves with your brand. Plus, as humans, we tend to be drawn to people and brands who share similar values and interests – this is called homophily.
I recommend taking the time to read this article: Homophily – a natural human behavior and its relevance in consumer decision making by Thomas George, as it does a great job explaining the natrual human behaviour behind consumer making decisions.
So What? A Brand is a Brand, Right?
The Four Exercises to Define your Brand!
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- Start with who your brand is. (Aim for three sentences. A paragraph)
- What do you plan to do? What’s your purpose? (In two sentences)
- Why should your consumer care?
- Movie Pitch your brand (In one sentence, sell your brand to us)
Using these, you will be able to define your business to your others.
Exercises 1-3
- We’re a – What type of company are you
- We plan to – What’s your purpose
- Why our consumers should care – What makes you unique that captures your consumers
Examples of defining a brand.
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- We’re a one-stop shop for all your hiking, camping, kayaking, skiing, and running stores. We’re committed to supporting all Canadians getting active outside.
- We plan to offer affordable outdoor equipment to the Canadian public. We want to give others the tools they need to seek and conquer their next great Canadian Adventure.
- We bring affordable, Ethical, sustainable footprint-supplied tools to the Canadian adventure-seeker.
- MEC is retailer meets adventurous person.
4. Movie Industry Pitch: [Brand] is [service/product] + [Wow factor]
The Movie industry pitch example
Try this exercise
[Your product or Brand] is [Your service/product. Like the result it does] Combined with [Use something that is relatable but unique to bring the wow factor]
Or
[All about You] + [Uniquely Yours] + [Borrowed Brilliance]
- All about you – Your Brand
- Unqiuely Yours – Your service or product.
- The borrowed brilliance isn’t he relatable theme to help make the idea tangible.
Movie Pitch Examples
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Let’s use Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) as our company example.
[ MEC] is [Outdoor Retailer] meets [Adventure]
“MEC is Outdoor Retailer meets Adventure”
Brand Defination Example
Using MEC’s exercise as an example, I will use the information to create one clear Brand Definition.
MEC is an outdoor retailer for the adventurous person. We’re committed to getting all Canadians active outside by being the one-stop outdoor shop, supplying Canadians with affordable, ethical, and sustainable footprint-supplied tools.
Key Takeaways
- A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that distinguishes one seller’s good or service from those of other sellers.
- Defining a brand helps turn that symbol, term, or name into that promise of service or goods.
- Summarize your brand in a way that’s clear, simple, memorable, and, most importantly, understood.
- People are bombarded with messages every day. Keep it simple, me rememberable.
- CAN YOU tell it in 60 seconds.
- How about 15 seconds?
- People are bombarded with messages every day. Keep it simple, me rememberable.
- How to define your brand > Who are you / What do you plan to do / Why should your consumers care / Movie pitch it
Summary
By the end of this blog, you’ll be able to communicate your business with ease and confidence. Time is precious, so I want to stress the importance of making a great first impression. Ensure that your brand’s purpose shines through when pitching to potential clients.I recommend that you jot down the exercises shared in this post and keep them in your brand guidelines. These tips will come in handy whenever you need a quick refresher, and you can even share them with team members to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
It’s worth noting that even among colleagues, there can be varying understandings of what a brand represents. That’s why unifying your brand definition across the board is essential for maintaining a consistent image. Keep your team aligned and proud to represent your brand!

Works Cited/ Resources
- Will Kenton (2022). Brand: Types of Brands and How to Create a Successful Brand Identity. investopedia.com
- Thomas George (2019). Homophily – a natural human behavior and its relevance in consumer decision making. linkedin.com
- Lorraine Carter (2014). Brand Differentiation: 30 Ways to Differentiate Your Brand. personadesign.ie