Branding your business effectively has never been more important for businesses of all sizes. With more competition than ever, investing in professional and memorable branding differentiates your business in the eyes of consumers and drives real results.
However, branding your business is more than just a logo – it’s a business’ identity. Branding informs everything from pamphlets to the way your customer service team answers the phone. It brings your business to life and helps you build meaningful relationships with your consumers.
Why is branding your business so important?
Branding involves careful ideation of the voice and personality your business wants to take on in the world around it. Branding will influence how you deliver your business’ value propositions and unique selling points – marketing initiatives and advertising spend become vehicles of your brand strategy but branding itself is more than just the execution of a message. Branding determines how, when and why you communicate. Developing a brand is an integral part of any business’ growth as it allows consumers to identify and value a business for more than just its offering. It sets expectations for your consumers and differentiates your business from its competitors.
It’s like a journey of self-discovery – a business’ core values, story of its beginning and pillars of its culture should be embodied in a brand. Just as people are defined by their differing values and beliefs, brands should operate from the inside out rather than focusing on what they do. Start by being honest with your business’ purpose and value – why does it exist and how do you want your brand to be perceived?
Branding is heavily reliant on perception – an authentic brand is easy to spot and customers are likely to see through a brand that lacks vision and purpose but when a brand is well thought out and developed, it can foster loyalty and connection with its consumers.
For example, customers are likely to purchase their sportswear from a brand most associated with achievement, potential and success, over a brand that simply wants to sell sportswear.
How do I build my brand?
It’s no surprise that the most effective brands showcase consistent, simple and meaningful designs. When your business is ready to start investing into the conception of its brand, its logo and font should be a visual representation of the brand’s story and personality.
A business’ logo will spark visual cues amongst your customers. It will eventually permeate all elements of your branding. The ideal business logo should:
- Convey the message and personality of your brand
- Be self-explanatory, simple and uncomplicated
- Strive to be unique, different and recognisable
- Stand the test of time with a logo that doesn’t just follow a ‘trending’ design
The colour used in your visual communication is another important consideration for your business’ branding as colours can influence meaning and emotion. Colours should support your brand’s personality and identity – think about the way you want your consumers to feel and aim to support those emotions with your brand’s colour and logo designs. The colour palette used in your logo and branding can be determined by your target audience. For example, millennial pink tones resonate well with a younger audience demographic and may be a sensible colour choice for brands that work with this target market.
The typography of your brand forms an important basis upon which consumers form opinions about your business and its offerings. It influences the perception of your brand and the emotions a consumer feels upon interaction. An appropriate font choice should help consumers understand your brand’s message and intentions. If the font fails to complement the visual elements of your brand, it will create a disconnect for consumers. Don’t get caught up in personal preferences in fonts but prioritise the mood, context and legibility of your font.
How do I share my brand?
When a brand has been conceived and the design elements have been finalised, it’s time to start integrating it into every aspect of your business and the most important facet is consistency. An unwavering brand identity is the gatekeeper of a successful brand strategy as it demonstrates your credibility and trustworthiness to consumers. Celebrate your brand by consistently applying it to all aspects of your business. Here’s our ultimate checklist for branding consistency:
- Signage: When a customer walks into your store or office, the environment should encapsulate the brand’s logo and colour. Don’t be excessive with your branding but it’s important to showcase and promote your brand internally. From the signage outside your store to the mugs in your office, be generous with your brand love – create eye-catching posters, banners or signs for special or everyday use with Kwik Kopy’s expert large-format printing.
- Email signatures: Add a professional touch with consistent email signatures with your logo, typography and updated contact details on every point of communication with a customer.
- Staff: Observe the way your sales or customer service teams answer their calls. Train your staff to answer consumer enquiries in a similar way as your brand would speak.
- Tangible collateral: Envelopes and packaging material should showcase consistent branding colours and designs. Consider creating templates for your marketing materials – colour schemes, logo placements and consistent headers/footers make a big difference.
- Business cards: A printed card leaves behind a tangible reminder of your business. Business cards should showcase the personality and quality of your brand. With the help of experts at Kwik Kopy, say goodbye to outdated business cards and design the shape, look and finish of your ideal business cards.
- Website and social media pages: Any online collateral should be branded and written with the same tone of voice and personality as your brand. Need help updating the look and feel of your website? We provide quality graphic design services to help your brand make an impact on your consumers.
From the moment a consumer interacts with your business, rest assured that your brand is working hard to attract, influence and retain your consumers.
