Branding; Everything you need to know
If you’re reading this it’s likely that you’ve realised branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, regardless of its size or product offering. Businesses large or small, selling business to business or business to consumer all have one thing in common, branding.
When you first think of branding you may just imagine the visual aspects of a brand, but in fact branding encompasses more than you think, a whole strategy in fact! In today’s increasingly competitive market a highly effective branding strategy is now essential if you want to make it to the top. But what are the three key elements of a branding strategy that you need to nail in order to achieve this?
Bad Logo, bad look, bad luck
Number one is your logo. The foundation of your brand is your logo, it really is that straight forward. Make it memorable, make it modern and make it magnetise.
You need to view your logo as much more than just the symbol or design that goes along with your brand name, your logo will likely be used across your packaging, website, products and will often take pride of place on any promotional materials.
For this reason your logo needs to become the face of your brand, it should be used to effectively communicate your brand with the aim of it becoming recognisable without the need to spell out the whole business. Mcdonald’s, Nike and Apple are just three prime examples of a logo done right, Even without their brand names incorporated into their design, it’s said that over half the people on the planet could recognise the brand name behind the logos, now that really is branding done right! (Decker, 2017)
Find your voice
It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it.
The second crucial element to successful branding is establishing your brands tone of voice. Your tone of voice should be seen as an expression of your company’s way of thinking, you should view it as the way you would want your brand to act and sound if it was a real life living person.
If your target consumers are students or teenagers your tone of voice should reflect this, make it audience appropriate and keep it light-hearted. If you’re selling to the 50+ age demographic, or you’re hoping to attract more business minded men and women, don’t pretend like you’re down with the kids, it’s just not cool, and more importantly it’s not going to work.
When you successfully master you’re tone of voice, you’ll see your customers not only identifying your brand look, but your brand personality too. They will start to form an image of the person behind the brand name, resulting in a deeper connection between the business and the consumer, helping develop a sense of trust, familiarity and eventually brand loyalty.
Tell your story
Every great brand has a story behind it. Every business started somewhere and every business was once just an idea on paper.
It is likely that your brand also started as a thought of creating a solution to a need that wasn’t currently being met, with this idea being driven by your passion to fill this gap. You have this passion, so you need to shout about it!
Everything that makes your brand different from the rest and ensures you stand out from the crowd needs to be championed in your branding, whether this is through your slogan, through your Social Media or through your brand values. People love to get behind a cause, especially if it benefits or helps them in any way. This is why you need to make your story known. You had a dream and your dream is becoming a reality, you haven’t forgotten where you’ve come from, you’re sticking to your roots and your vision has always been clear.
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Decker, K. (2017). The importance of a logo—5 reasons you must have one. Available: https://99designs.co.uk/blog/tips-en-gb/logo-importance/. Last accessed 13th Feb 2018.