Brand Identity

Early branding of a small or emerging company is key to business success. It is the quickest way for your company to express what it is and what it can offer. Every time someone walks into your place of business, visits your website, interacts with an employee, or views a piece of print, that person forms an impression that influences how they think and buy. Building a successful brand takes consistency. It’s about constantly reinforcing what you stand for across all touch points, so your audiences grow to recognize your brand and chooses you over your competition. It can be your your most valuable asset.

Here’s What Every Business Should Know about maximizing their brand identity:

1) Proper branding is critical to your long term success. Some think of branding as logo development. But in reality, branding is managing the thoughts and feelings of your customers to ensure that they choose you. If your desired brand image isn’t what’s really in the minds of your target audience, you’ve got to figure out how to address those gaps. Remember – the customer is always right.

2) A brand’s visual identity is the overall look of its communications. Effective visual brand identity is achieved by the consistent use of particular visual elements to create distinction, such as specific fonts, colors, and graphic elements. At the core of every brand identity is a brand mark, or logo. Working with multiple creative sources typically leads to an inconsistent brand identity.

3) Your logo is just one part of your overall brand or corporate identity, but obviously a very important part. Your logo is a symbol, name or trademark that should concisely represent your brand. When choosing a logo designer look for: proven success and experience, professionalism, great understanding of brand identity, portfolio, price, and great customer service. You should be excited about your logo – you want your customer’s to be!

4) Create Brand Standards for your business. Set your business apart by consistently designing your marketing materials. Think you're not big enough to worry about your brand standards?

I recommend that even the smallest companies develop and maintain brand standards from the very beginning. Focus your strategy and consistency in the following five areas: logo, graphics, color, fonts, illustration and/or photo style.

5) Stand for something. People want what they can understand and appreciate. If you’re trying to be everything to everybody, chances are you’ll attract no one. Better positioning allows you charge more for your services. Customers seek out experts, not generalists.

Finally: Fully commit to your branding. Treat every function of your company, from product offerings to sales, as integral aspects of your brand. It all starts with your people and every interaction they have with customers, vendors, and each other. Do it – you’ll love the Return On Investment!