Branding Tips for Your Business
What is branding?
Branding is a nuanced term which is focused on the character or personality of your business. It’s not just your graphic design or logo. When you embark on the process of branding for your business, it’s a good trick to humanize it. When people think of your business – what do they think of it? Friendliness, quality service, respect? Branding is whatever people will associate with the reputation of your business. How does your branding make THEM feel?
Often people think of branding as logos and graphics, but that’s not all it is. Your logo is the first thing most customers or clients will associate you with, but this is definitely not how you start your branding process. The following sections will cover the most important branding tips for creating a brand that will tell a story and speak to an audience.
Tell Your Story
Take time to strategize. Before you get to the graphic design step, it is important to figure out what is your tone, your voice, and what your audience is going to be receptive to. Take time to know them.
We all talk a certain way which showcases our persona. Believe it or not, your business has a voice. Brand voice is defined by Sprout Social as, “the distinct personality a brand takes on in its communications”. Why does it matter? Your written content helps you stand out from the crowd, especially those who prioritize memorable content, distinct personality, and compelling storytelling.
Integrate Your Brand in Everything You Do
A report from Salesforce revealed that 60% of people switch away from brands who ‘provide an inconsistent experience’. Consistency is an ever-growing concern for businesses who demonstrate the A game in marketing. This is due to the growing number of consumer touchpoints which the personality of the brand needs to reflect in.
Today we use websites, social media, video, influencer marketing, review sites, mobile apps, email marketing, newsletters, and so much more to stay in contact with our customers. Those customers are going to expect the same experience on each and every platform, and this is is how to do it:
- Develop your company’s values, mission, culture and share them.
- Create a communication style guide for employees to use.
- Monitor performance with digital tools.
Creating a document which highlights how you speak in your marketing environment will help ensure consistent messaging across platforms.
The first step in tailoring your business’s voice is to compile messaging on who your target audience is, and their personas. Tie this into your company’s mission and values. Once this is mapped out, it is time to assess what tone is going to resonate with your audience and environment. Keeping consistent and referring back to this document whenever generating written content will make your marketing journey so much easier!
Logos and Graphic Design
Do people know who you are? Logos help your business stand out and make a strong first impression. These graphic designs are the foundation of your business and cast the net for consumers who are going to stay loyal to your brand and services or products.
Now, what makes a good logo? Like with all things, there are trends to logo design – but the ones that stand the test of time are well thought out in terms of graphic design.
At Sproing we focus on making sure that your logo resonates with your audience by speaking to how they see and interact with your brand. The main idea is to ensure your logo captures the essence of your business values, mission, purpose without overwhelming the consumer. Stay distinctive, memorable, and clear.
Once your logo is developed, use it everywhere!
Maintain a Strong Online Presence
Make sure you are generating valuable content your customers, or prospective ones, want to read. Ensure that you are not only watching for the quality of the content but also the consistency of it. Search engine algorithms will organically rank your website higher if you are putting out consistent posts. Websites with blogs get 55% more website traffic than businesses that don’t.
Social media platforms also contribute to your presence. Make sure you define what platforms are going to work best for your products or services, and what you can physically manage. Platforms to consider are:
- YouTube
- TikTok
Whichever platform you choose, ensure that your content is vibrant and engaging. Use compelling stats and creative images. Share your story, and stay authentic to your brand. Developing a strong online presence helps your customers and clients interact with your brand in more ways than just buying your product. It also builds your credibility as a brand where all your potential customers and clients can find you on the internet.
Wrapping It Up
We hope these tips will help you elevate your business’s branding. While this may seem like a lot of work, creating consistent branding on top of developing captivating logos and graphic design will keep customers loyal to your brand. Don’t forget in these steps to focus on what your audience wants to see and hear from you!
If this can seem overwhelming, our team of marketing professionals are happy to get you started. We can help with everything from graphic design and branding to business strategy, social media and digital marketing.
Visit our list of services here.