Your branding is going to be one of the most powerful tools in your kit. It will be how people recognize your work and you. When branding is done well, it will give people the idea that they can trust you, or for people who have already worked with you – they will return.
But does it all sound a little more like magic than method?
Actually, good branding could indeed be classed as magic. But, it doesn’t just happen. Great branding takes time, effort and testing.
Let’s cover some basics:
What Is Branding?
Branding is a representation of your business and will become recognizable as such to the public. Getting your branding right is vital for the success of your business. It will be how you are known to your consumers, clients, and how you will build loyalty. And here are a few things that will be representative of your brand:
- Logo
- Website
- Design
- Colours
- Tone of Voice
- Email Signatures
- Style
They will all come together to form a cohesive message.
Style
In the early days of building your business, you will already have a style in mind. And we are lucky that we now have access to millions of companies that can bring our visions to life. You can always do it yourself, but when you have the cash to do so, hire someone. Working with a professional will mean you have access to a skill set or even a team of people that can truly explore options and provide fantastic insight. The style will run across everything and should be evident in your online presence and products too. To hit the ground running, check out design sprint.
Vision
This will ultimately be the driving force behind your brand. Every business, blog, influencer, and so on will need to create a vision. Your brand vision will be the perfect mix of goals, strengths, ideas, and how you can deliver that to your customers. For inspiration, check out works of various top branding agencies.
Story
While everything should look professional, sleek and speak to your customer, it will all come down to the story. What is about you and your business that makes you stand out? Why are you different, and how is what you do special?
A personal journey from idea to fruition can be a powerful method of letting people get some insight into who you really are. And that can make your business much more attractive. The story of your brand is as important as getting your branding correct.
People want authenticity, and a reason to choose you over your competition. So when you initially create your business vision, be mindful that everything you do should be as close to that as possible.
Clarity
Well, you might be in love with an incredibly swirly, delicate, and handwritten font, but not everyone can read that. It doesn’t always translate very well to different mobile devices, and sometimes the letter confusion can mean that people might not recognize your name or even know how to spell it.
Try to make everything as clear as possible. There are a number of fonts that people can read more easily. Although there is nothing stopping you getting a font designed specifically for your business. Ensure that all of the fonts that you use are mobile compatible, and take into account people with visual impairment too. Whatever you choose font wise should translate to printed materials as well as online.
Audience
The deciding factor and the heart of everything that you do should be about your audience. If you put enough time into the market research, you will know the demographic they were speaking to. However, if you’ve invested time or money into branding items or development without first really understanding what your audience needs, then you might need to have a rethink.
Knowing your audience, understanding their problems or what they want, it’s all part of building a brand that has staying power.
Long-term Relationships
In the early days, you might have a few orders from some small regular clients and deal with big projects every once in a while, but the real value comes from the customer that is returning time after time. Long-term relationships are loyal customers. And no amount of money can buy a loyal customer. Excellent customer services, products at work and deliver what they say they will, and good branding, however, can do that. Honesty and trust are going to be the foundations of forging his long-lasting relationships, and staying true to your brand message will be the cornerstone.
