BECAUSE of recession, there’s a need for small to medium sized enterprises internationally to up the ante on their branding strategy. We’re in a customer market right now, which means unless a business stands out from the crowd it is unlikely to thrive, or even survive.
SMEs must ask themselves this question: ‘What do we do that only we can do?’ The answer has to be at the heart of their brand. If it isn’t, their brand may be lost ‘like teardrops in the rain’, to quote my favourite film, Bladerunner.
It is the design sector that holds they key to helping SMEs unlock the full potential of their brand, but there are two big problems
1.SMEs are inexperienced at buying design services;
2.Many design agencies are also more used to dealing with high street chains or multinationals, not SMEs.
The problem is so acute that in the UK the Government has stepped in, with a programme called Designing Demand, which is run by the Design Council (DC), the Government-funded national strategic body for design in the UK.
This program helps UK businesses become more profitable by helping them understand the strategic, effective use of design. The program also helps designers understand SMEs’ needs and issues.
Part of the problem SMEs have with buying design services is that so much of what’s on offer seems identical to them; many design agencies, it seems, are not practicing what they preach
“The biggest error designers make is being just another one of tens of thousands of designers,” remarks David C. Baker, who has advises creative companies through his management consultancy firm ReCourses.
“They don't approach their work as a designer who understands what the client company does,” adds Baker. “Because of that, clients view designers as interchangeable, and this moves design from what it should be -- a professional service -- to merely a service.”
In agreement is Shel Perkins, president of Shel Perkins & Associates, a consultancy that works with design firms to improve performance and navigate change.
“The most common problems I see are a failure to effectively position ourselves as experts in specific client categories, and a failure to communicate the benefits of a comprehensive, strategic approach,” says Perkins, who also authored Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets for Designers.
This inability to connect with SMEs is costing both SMEs and designers lost opportunities and lower revenues.
The United States federal government defines a small business as any enterprise with fewer than 500 employees, and it’s estimated that such businesses account for more than 50 per cent of the country's overall economic activity. US designers can't afford to leave that much potential business on the table.
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