Most people say that size really does matter. The American way has morphed into a race for the biggest and best things in life, buying new trucks to replace older, smaller versions or paying for plastic surgery to “enhance” the gifts God gave us. It would only make sense that companies fall under the same great misconception that has plagued our society for decades: Bigger = Better.
An example of a small company falling at the feet of this myth occurred when I met with the company’s Board of Directors to discuss their new website design. Someone said to me “we want to look bigger than we actually are”. At the time, there was something in the back of my head saying “Hmmm….”, but I shrugged it off just as I knew I would be had I mentioned it.
Fact: Size Doesn’t Matter, It’s What You Do With It That Counts
Unfortunately, the more I look at the websites of small companies, the more I see that this is an epidemic plaguing the nation. If business owners were to stop and actually talk to their clients, they would find that most of them do not care one single bit about how big their company is. Most actually prefer working with small yet capable companies, because they associate “small” with personal service. Even so, what’s the problem with making yourself appear larger than you actually are?
Trust. To build a respectable brand (read: reputation), you must always represent yourself correctly and effectively. Communicating something such as “we’re a big company” is not only misleading, your customers will see it as you lying to them. Thus they will not trust you, and you will never be able to regain the trust of those individuals.
Control Your Brand
Chasing after short-term profits by widening your focus more than you should, or even just by misplacing it, will lead to long-term turmoil. Have the discipline to stand for what you believe in, and only for what you believe in, and your clients will begin to perceive you as a brand they cannot imagine their life without.
Don’t chase market trends, set your own.