When someone asks what you do, how many sentences does it take you to explain your small business in a way that not only feels authentic but (crucially!) is also easily understandable? If their eyes are glazing over as you enter your fifth minute of monologuing, it’s too many. On the other side, if your curt response of “I sell xyz” ends the entire conversation, it’s too few. Being able to communicate your business in a way that’s concise and enticing is just one advantage of having a defined Business Identity.

And what about online? If you are having trouble communicating your brand clearly in real life, everything from the website design for your small business to your Instagram grid is sure to reflect the same rabbit trails and tangents, confusing potential clients and even worse - boring them.

Whether you simply want to curate a clean social media feed or reach specific sales goals, having a defined Business Identity can be the difference between success and failure. In fact, before I ever begin designing a custom website for a small business client, I make sure I have their Business Identity on lock by having them fill out a quick questionnaire. (The questionnaire is actually pretty fun, so be sure to snag the Free Business Identity Workbook version at the end of this blog!)

A Business Identity Statement is the first step to creating a website for your small business that clearly communicates what your brand is and why your potential clients should care.

Ok ok, what is a Business Identity Statement? I gotta know!

Your Business Identity is a way of defining your entire business by what you do, why you do it and who you do it for. To use terms a Business Bro who just got their BA & is calling themselves a guru now would rejoice in, it’s your product/service menu seen through the perspective of your business goals and values (as summarized in a mission statement) combined with a target market map. Doesn’t that sound silly though? I’m sticking with my terms, sorry Business Bro.

If that still sounds confusing, keep reading! I’ll be using Kiwi Online Marketing, my own website and branding design service for small businesses, as a template to help clarify the concept.

And at the end of this blog, I even offer my Free Business Identity Workbook for Small Businesses that you can use to craft your own!

If you don’t already have this nailed down (it happens!), figure out your most popular product or service and build your menu around that category. Just remember that this is a more like a seasonal menu chalked up above the bar; it’s 100% subject to change especially as you continue to define your Business Identity!
For Kiwi Online Marketing this looks like:
- Kiwi Online Marketing provides website design and branding services!
This is that mysterious world known in the business realm as your Target Market. That does sound a bit like you are on safari and these are the ultimate trophies, so I want you to think of them instead as your key crew or your ideal customer.
For Kiwi Online Marketing this looks like:
- Kiwi Online Marketing’s ideal client is a small business owner who designed their own website back in the day when they just started out. That old site no longer meets the needs of their own business, but they’ve grown so much that they don’t really have the time to DIY - plus they have a feeling that a professional can root out some missed selling opportunities for them!
Let’s talk values and goals. These are important from an ethical standpoint, but beyond that they can help you see how your own identity forms the things that make your business unique (and therefore increasingly valuable!). Think about your own story and what got you interested in your line of work: that’s where your values begin.
For Kiwi Online Marketing this looks like:
- I started Kiwi Online Marketing to enable me to combine my love of small businesses and the babes who run them with my years of expertise in the digital realm. I’ve been a small business owner and engaged with that community in my hometown of San Antonio for a long time; I see a strong need for digital education among these entrepreneurs who know they have a stellar product but don’t know how to communicate about it online.
Remember when I said your service/produce menu was subject to change? Look back it under the lens of your values and see if they align! Will those products or services enable you to meet your goals or do you need to mix it up?

Putting it all together

Putting all those elements together, you can see that Kiwi Online Marketing provides website design and branding services for small business owners because it’s a niche I personally care about seeing thrive.

To put it into business terms:

The aim of Kiwi Online Marketing is to empower small business owners to achieve success in the online space through affordable and strategic websites and branding services as well as digital educational content.

From that single statement of purpose (sometimes called a mission statement!), potential clients can not only immediately understand my business model, but extrapolate that my values are based in entrepreneurship, in hard work and in the concept of community-based cooperation over competition - hopefully helping me gain their trust and confidence! For myself, defining this statement helps me focus in on my priorities and only accept business opportunities that are both right for my niche and that make me happy.

Neat! What does this have to do with web design?

Everything! Once you’ve got that Business Identity or Mission Statement down, you know exactly what the website for your small business (as well as all your branding and marketing communication!) needs to express and the audience it needs to reach.

Now how strategically design your website to take your audience through specific messaging elements laid out in a way to encourages them to take action - that’s a whole ‘nother thing. I recommend hiring an expert (doesn’t have to be me - but it sure could be!)

In the meantime, however, you still need to figure out your own precise business identity and I have just the workbook to help you do it!

Let’s do it.

Sign up below to receive my free Business Identity Workbook for Small Businesses! It’ll take you through the three steps above and help you understand how to combine them into a statement that’s unique to your own small business.

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