Why Branding Matters to Your Business

Your brand represents you as a company and your promise to your customers. Good branding starts with a well-designed logo, but can extend to many other important areas. This article explains why branding matters when building recognition and communicating a clear identity for your company.

A business needs a viable offer, sound planning and reliable delivery as well as a clear identity. Branding contributes to that picture, but cannot guarantee success. Many new businesses overlook critical points when starting up and one of these is design. Even an excellent product or service needs a clear introduction, especially when customers have not encountered the company before and are comparing several alternatives. But for most of us, a strong brand can help us become recognised and remembered and possibly stay one step ahead of the competition.

Consistent branding supports recognition

When a company has a professionally designed logo and strong advertising, people’s perception is usually of good customer service and a solid product or service. We all know of large successful companies who have taken the time and effort to hire a graphic designer and produced some memorable artwork to represent them. But how many large successful companies who haven’t…not many spring to mind. That is a useful reason to plan the identity early, while remembering that a strong visual presentation must be supported by the actual customer experience.

The role of your logo

One central visual component of your brand is its logo. Think how we instantly recognise the apple with a bite taken out of it, or the simple “tick” that is associated with all Nike products. Spending time and hiring a professional logo designer is imperative at this stage, as it will be on every piece of media, advertising, or product that you manufacture. A cleverly designed logo should be simple enough to be memorable, yet powerful enough to represent your core values and target audience.

Creating trust with your audience

Imagine you have two companies, selling exactly the same products, yet one has a beautiful logo, and all of their literature ties in with the basic design. The other company had either no logo, or a poorly designed one – which company will you be drawn to? A coherent identity may help the first company make a positive impression, although customers will also weigh its service, reputation, price and the information available.

Good branding is conducive to good advertising

Advertising again, is vital to keeping ahead of your competition. You must choose your focus and media wisely. Too narrow a window can leave you “pigeon holed” and restricted with future expansion. Too wide and you lose the potency of your message to your desired target audience.

Stand out from the crowd

You are not only competing on a local stage – in today’s global marketplace you are up against hundreds, if not thousands of similar companies worldwide. If the offer is unclear, a prospective customer may move to another search result before understanding what makes your business relevant. Clear positioning, useful information and consistent presentation can help visitors decide whether to investigate further. Set yourself apart from the rest of the bunch, with a creative and intuitive corporate identity.

Brand recognition and perceived value

Brand value involves the associations customers build around a business, including recognition, trust and previous experiences. The American Marketing Association’s branding overview explains these ideas through brand identity and brand equity. For a small business, the practical task is to present a consistent promise and deliver on it. Design can support that work across repeated encounters, but a stronger-looking identity alone does not guarantee increased revenue or determine a company’s financial value.

Branding inspires employees

At an employee level, a well recognised brand can help everyone look in the same direction. If your logo is regarded in high esteem from the general public, then a sense of pride can be felt throughout the workforce. This can also strengthen the entire company to work towards the same goals and direction. Sharing brand values and guidelines internally can help staff apply the identity consistently. After all, everyone knows it’s easier to sell something when you believe in it yourself.

Branding supports business development

With brand development, we aim to create an identity that resonates with our target audience and essentially build on the emotional relationship on a personal level. These implied messages go a long way to convince someone that your company is the right one to do business with.

A little goes a long way

Your corporate identity will become the foundation of your entire marketing plan. It will be central to your website, printed literature, video production and all other media. Developing clear guidelines can make future materials more consistent and easier to produce. If the identity needs to change, plan the update around what customers already recognise, the reasons for the change and the cost of applying it across different materials.

Your audience’s experience helps shape what your brand means to them.

Planning your business identity

As you can see, no matter the nature of your business and no matter how large or small your company is, branding is essential to everyone. A well branded company has already put their best foot forward and are likely to stand out from their competitors. If you are interested in creating a winning brand for your company, why not contact Dreamkatcha for a free consultation. We’d love to set you off on the right foot towards success.

For a closer look at the visual identity, explore the benefits of a professionally designed logo.