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MVB Minimal Viable Branding

Here’s some condensed and actionable advice on creating a Minimum Viable Brand (MVB) for a SME:

Core Idea

You need a Minimum Viable Brand (MVB). This is a basic but effective online presence that showcases your company’s expertise without requiring a full-blown content strategy.

Why You Need an MVB

  • Credibility and Trust: An MVB makes your company look more reputable and trustworthy, even when reaching out cold.
  • Stand Out: It sets you apart from competitors who lack a strong online presence.
  • Increased “Luck Surface Area”: More opportunities will come your way when people can easily find and learn about your expertise.

5 Key Elements of an SME’s MVB

  1. Clear Brand Positioning:
    • Define your company’s value proposition and unique selling points.
    • What problem do you solve? How are you different/better?
  2. Consistent Branding:
    • Use a consistent logo, brand voice, colors, and messaging across all platforms.
  3. One Long-Form Content Piece:
    • Create a high-value piece that demonstrates your expertise:
      • Case study
      • Webinar
      • Whitepaper
      • In-depth interview with a company leader
  4. 10 Short-Form Content Pieces:
    • Create shorter pieces that highlight key insights and value propositions:
      • Clips from the long-form content
      • Blog posts
      • Infographics
      • Social media updates
  5. Well-Designed Website:
    • A central hub to showcase your brand, content, and contact information.

Content Creation Tips

  • Interview Format: An easy way to create content is through interviews:
    • Have someone ask questions like:
      • “What’s the biggest misconception about your industry?”
      • “What’s your company’s unique approach to [problem]?”
      • “Can you share a success story?”
      • “What are the biggest mistakes companies make in [area of expertise]?”
    • Record the answers and edit them into concise, valuable content.
  • Repurpose Content: Get multiple short clips from your long-form piece.
  • Create a Lead Magnet: Offer a valuable resource (guide, checklist, template) in exchange for email sign-ups. This helps you build a list of potential customers without needing to create new content constantly.

Key Takeaway

  • An MVB is about establishing a foundational online presence that demonstrates your SME’s expertise, builds trust, and attracts opportunities, all without requiring a massive content creation effort.
  • Focus on quality over quantity. A few strong pieces of content are more effective than a constant stream of mediocre ones.

Action Steps

  1. Define your brand positioning.
  2. Audit your current online presence for consistency.
  3. Plan and create your long-form content piece.
  4. Extract short-form content from the long-form piece.
  5. Develop or update your website.
  6. Create a lead magnet.

Page last modified: 2025-01-22 03:12:13