Branding
Why Branding Will Change Your Business
1st May 2020
Branding, visual identity, logos… It’s easy to get it all mixed up, especially if you’re thinking about owning your own biz! Over the next couple of lines, I wanna help you understand why good branding matters & what actual results it can *actually* provide for you. I’m a firm believer that the first step in understanding anything new starts with its definition (I know, sounds boring, but I promise it does help!) So, let’s see what the good ol’ dictionaries have to say:
Brand
/brænd/ noun
• a mark to attest manufacture or quality or to designate ownership;
• a characteristic or distinctive kind;
• to impress indelibly.
Identity
/aɪˈden.tə.ti/ noun
• the distinguishing character or personality of an individual;
• sameness of essential or generic character in different instances.
Logo
/ˈləʊ.ɡəʊ/ noun
• an identifying symbol or statement.
More than a logo, have a good brand
Although all these concepts are pretty close to each other, they’re not exact synonyms. As we’ve seen before, a logo is a symbol that identifies a business so that the public can recognize it. A good logo means this symbol is not only memorable but that it attracts the right people and is resizable & adaptable (I honestly can’t highlight this enough!)
Keep in mind that your logo will, most likely, be used in A LOT (if not all) your materials, from print to digital, from the small favicon to large billboards!
However, even a good logo, that does all that, won’t make your business heard, seen and grow in the future. And that’s the most important goal! So, how do you get there?
“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
— Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO
A good brand is SO MUCH MORE than a logo. As the dictionary told us before, a brand isn’t just a symbol, but an individual, intimate and long-lasting feeling & experience that your customers will associate with your business. A brand implies an emotional response from your target audience that will make them more or less likely to say “I want a piece of that!” That’s why consistency and strategy are key to making your customers come to you time and time again; it’s the values you convey that make you memorable; it’s what people think of your business, even before they buy from you.
So…what is a good brand?
1. Makes you unique
Who are you as a brand? If you don’t know, your customers won’t be able to guess it either… The very first step that goes into making a brand is understanding your audience so that you can effectively communicate with them! Your brand’s foundation lies on keywords that identify your voice, tone, aesthetic & brand experience.
Every good brand can be explained in less than a dozen words.
2. Shows confidence & passion
Make no mistake: a good brand takes courage. Often, you need to go against the norms and be unexpected and different to stand out. I know it’s hard, believe me! Especially if we’re talking about rebranding when we need to abandon our company’s first look (“but it’s my baby!”).
But try to reframe it this way: some of the most famous companies in the world are where they are today not for having a unique product or service! But because of their attitude, voice & confidence. Search for what’s naturally different in YOU and how can you put that feeling in your whole brand for your client to experience. What’s your story, mission & values and how can you tell them in a captivating way?
3. Generates profit
Giving control of your business’ brand away to another person may cause a little drop of sweat to run down your back. After all, no one knows your business as you do!
No doubt! But have you reallyyy looked at your business in a critical, impartial and objective way? That’s the first step a designer should take when creating a successful brand. Understanding your ideal customer is the key to success because is to them you‘ll be talking to and it’s them that need to feel understood by your brand.
As a designer myself, I want to build something that will provide you with your best possible future. It’s all about a ONE-time investment, of hiring a professional to build you a brand and a system, that has to pay itself off every. single. time. someone buys from you. That’s why good brands are hard to find (and why finding the right designer for you matters so much)! I believe that your brand’s communication should be an easy task and creating an Instagram post should NOT take over your whole damn day!
All in all…
Branding is all about creating an experience for your customer whenever he comes in contact with your business. Your logo, website, social media presence, language, message, values, mission, customer care… Everything that comes between you and your client counts.
Branding is the fastest way for you to stand out from your competition in a world where our digital time span comes down to just 3 seconds. What does this mean? That you only have 3 seconds to convince your audience that you’re the best and that they need you. That usually translates in real engagement & connections and increases website traffic and sells (€€€). It’s the visual aspect that will tell them, at first, why you’re the best in your industry.
Branding can not only change your audience’s view of your brand but also increase your value as a company.
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You deserve an original & memorable brand! Are you ready to finally be seen as the business you always knew you were meant to be?
Check out how we can work together here!