We asked three small business owners how branding and custom packaging have helped their businesses grow.
Whether you’re choosing a name for your business or designing your brand’s aesthetic, deciding how you present yourself to the world is a pivotal moment for small business owners. And while successful branding takes a dedicated effort, the initial investment you make will be well worth it: an alluring brand identity attracts devoted customers who appreciate the memorable, unique shopping experience that you provide.
For businesses looking to boost brand recognition, custom packaging is a cost-effective and strategic way to bring your aesthetic in front of as many consumers as possible. By providing an exciting, shareable unboxing experience, companies that operate in the ecommerce space can cement their status among a loyal customer base. From custom labels to color-coordinated bags, showing patrons that you care about their interaction with your products even after they check out will only endear them to your business more.
Eager to get started? We talked to three successful small business owners about how their businesses have benefited from custom packaging, and their top tips for successful branding.
Consider How Your Branding Reflects Your Business
Successful branding isn’t about creating the most elaborate designs. Instead, you should consider how your logos, color palettes, and packaging can reflect the values of your business.
Just ask Andy Morsell, co-founder of Mountain Madness Soap Co.. Andy and his wife Jennifer started their soap company 17 years ago from their tiny kitchen in Alaska. Even when they were just starting out, branding was always top of mind.
“Our branding has been part of our company since the very beginning,” Morsell explains. “Jennifer wanted the company name to reflect something that we were passionate about, with the logo being fairly simple yet unique enough to be memorable.”
Mountain Madness Soap Co.’s logo design features the business’s name, as well as an elegant green outline of a mountain in the background that evokes the natural ingredients used in their products. However, Morsell notes that branding doesn’t have to be static, and can evolve in pace with your company. For example, Morsell says, “We recently started adding bee and honeycomb elements to our branding for several reasons — one being that we like bees, but this imagery also resonates with many of our customers who want natural products.”
Morsell explains that custom packaging is one of the best strategies for leaving a lasting impression with customers. “Most customers appreciate creative custom packaging and graphics, and recognize that we go above and beyond when presenting our products to them,” says Morsell. “We make sure that our label and packaging graphics are appealing to the eye, easy to read, and not too cluttered so that they also present well on our ecommerce site.”
Custom Packaging That Makes Customers Smile
For small businesses, investing in consistent branding shows customers that they can expect to enjoy a consistently high-quality product.
“Branding is very important in every aspect of our business model,” explains Gail Pierce of Wooly Lady. “Our brand is the face we put out to the world. It needs to be a part of every postcard, every letter, our website, and our social media feeds. It needs to represent a feeling or impression that says something positive to existing and potential customers.”
For Pierce, impressive custom packaging is a surefire way to get customers on board for the long haul. “In our opinion, high-quality custom packaging is an absolute necessity. Shopping isn’t just about ordering a product and receiving it. It should be an experience that makes people feel special and satisfied that they ‘got what they paid for.’”
While it might come at a slight premium to standard offerings, Pierce maintains that opting for custom packaging is always worth the investment. “Don’t let what you perceive to be extra frills or an added expense stop you from using custom packaging,” she warns. “You work hard on your products. You take pride in them. They deserve nice packaging. And good packaging will set you apart from your competitors and keep customers coming back.”
How Branding Can Help New Businesses Make a Lasting Impression
With the right custom packaging, you can make customers’ shopping experience so memorable that they’ll want to return to your store for their next purchase. Vee and Michael Hill are the creators of Woof Wrapped Snacks with Swag, selling high-quality natural snacks for dogs. They designed their logo — featuring a scruffy pup named Swagger — to be easily identifiable and modern at the same time.
As a new business, this recognizable and appealing branding has been crucial to success. “We’ve dedicated as many resources to our branding as we have to the development of our products,” says Vee.
For companies that are just starting out, branding and custom packaging can help your operation appear more established, allowing you to build customer trust. As Vee explains, “It’s important to make a professional and lasting impression on your clients or potential clientele. I wholeheartedly believe that customizing your packaging is imperative to building brand recognition.”
Whether you’re a new small business hoping to build up your branding from scratch or an established company rethinking your current aesthetic, there’s never a wrong time to invest in how you present yourself to the world. With thoughtful custom packaging and high-quality shipping supplies to match, you’ll be setting your small business up for big time growth.