Branding Your Side Hustle

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Things You Must Know Before Branding Your Side Hustle

The pandemic put millions of Americans out of work and forced millions more to learn, not just how to manage money, but also how to make more money.

With the economy in such an unpredictable state, starting a side hustle remains one of the smartest financial decisions anyone can make.

And thousands of people made that conclusion because suddenly everyone everywhere began nursing brilliant ideas and kick-starting their side hustles, so they too can make some sweet sweet cash.

Even workers who realized that it was risky depending on a job as their only stream of income began embracing their hustles to create an extra source of cash. In the end, there were side hustles everywhere that it became a problem telling one from another.

But even though this problem has kept well-meaning hustlers grounded, the solution lies in something simple: Seeing your side hustle as a business. And what makes every business distinct from their competition? Strong branding!

Branding your side hustle won’t just transform your generic hobby into a business, it’ll also inspire customer trust and credibility. And if you’re wondering how you can go about it, we’ve got the solution for you.

But before talking about what you need to know before branding your side hustle, let’s take a quick look at what branding is.

What is Branding?

Branding is the foundation of every successful business. Building a brand is all about discovering, improving, and integrating unique elements to your business in a way that creates a strong image, sends a compelling message, and leaves a lasting impact in the minds of customers.

In 2021, branding has evolved beyond establishing a strong market presence to building a personality with values and goals that people can relate to. Branding gives your side hustle a face, voice, and personality that makes it more intriguing, loveable, and approachable.

Before You Brand, Acquire These Qualities

You need to be prepared to handle all complexities involved in creating a great brand. Business success depends a lot more on your psychology than it does on your actions, and that’s why you must possess these qualities before you brand your side hustle.

Determination: Are you genuinely interested in helping prospective customers? Success wouldn’t come instantly, so you must be determined to follow your hustle even if it means spending less time with family and friends.

Adequate skills: Are you a beginner, intermediate, or professional at what you do? The more skilled you are, the better the results you’d get.

Great customer service: What’s your experience with customers? Did you get feedback from them? Feedback goes a long way in helping you know if there’s a strong demand for your products or services.

Realistic goals and milestones: What are your goals? Are they Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound? Set realistic daily, weekly, and monthly goals that will help you adapt and become efficient with entrepreneurial life.

A day job: Devote every hour of your company time to the company, and every hour of your hustle time to your business. It’d do you more harm than good if you quit your day job at the early stages of your side hustle because your day job would provide the financial support you and your side hustle needs.

That said; let’s see how you can brand your side hustle.

Get a Catchy Brand Name

While branding your side hustle, don’t ignore the importance of getting a catchy brand name because it’s one of the first things people see and hear before meeting you. If it’s unique and interesting, they’d give your product a try. If it’s bland and generic, they’d instantly pass over your business to another one with a catchy name.

The ideal name must be:

– Unique
– Memorable
– Easy to say and spell
– Must reflect your brand

Major brands like Apple, Etsy, Instagram, Udemy, and HubSpot all began as side hustles but today they’re all trendsetters in their industry. So devote time to crafting a powerful brand name that not only intrigues customers but also helps you stand out from the crowd.

Getting a unique brand name can elevate your business’s credibility, so pay special attention to finding a great name for your business. And the fastest way you can do that is by using a powerful business name generator.

Get a Unique Logo

One of the most significant aspects of branding your side hustle is design. Your logo is likely to be your clients’ first encounter with your brand, and it will influence how they see you. Your logo is the face of your company, and it needs to be at its best.

The message is simple. Your business will enjoy preferential treatment from customers if you maximize your brand’s visual identity and maintain them clearly and consistently through every channel you choose to publicize your brand on.

Although customers will have a tough time remembering you if you don’t have a logo, they’ll even have a tougher time trusting you.

Get Active Online

One thing that hasn’t changed since the lockdown is how much of our lives have gone online. And every business that wants to keep great client interactions must also be relevant online.

Make sure you use social media to bring your business in front of your customers. Putting out exciting content on social media, informative blog posts, and compelling email newsletters is a great way to grow your brand’s audience and regularly put your business in front of new people.

Just the same way GoPro uses Facebook to advertise their brand, Twitter for announcing new launches, YouTube for videos and demos, and Instagram to showcase their cameras, you too can use social media to create an online community that educates and builds trust with your audience.

Influencer marketing is another way to promote your business. This way you can establish your brand identity by using the influencer’s active user base.

How Badly Do You Want It?

Transforming a side hustle into a business isn’t an easy process. You must be willing to put in your blood, sweat, and tears before achieving financial freedom, and living life on your own terms.

So make sure you find a side hustle you’re passionate about and grow it into a business you can be proud of.

Grant Polachek
Grant Polachek is the Head of Branding at Inc 500 company Squadhelp.com, the world's #1 naming platform, with 25,000+ customers from early-stage startups across the globe to the largest corporations including Nestle, Philips, Hilton, Pepsi, and AutoNation.

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