A business’s branding is central to its ability to appeal to potential customers. Part of branding is what customers believe or perceive about your business. Choosing an image that positively resonates with your target market is therefore pivotal to the success or failure of your venture.
There are a few ways to ensure you get off to the right start with your branding.
1. Color Scheme Matters
Choosing colors that potential buyers identify with will directly affect your sales. Different colors can influence buyer behavior in particular ways. The color red is used on most posters advertising sales because it conveys a sense of urgency. The brand colors you select will profoundly affect the first impression people form about your products and business.
Before you select a color, you need to understand the idea that colors convey a message on their own. White conveys an idea of purity, red is also associated with passion and danger, and yellow speaks of optimistic energy. On the other hand, brown has a connotation of modesty, while black is widely associated with opulence. You need to consider the underlying meaning of each color as you think about the color combination that best reflects your brand.
2. Catchy Tagline
In addition to colors, your brand should have a signature phrase anyone can use to distinguish it from others. It should have a combination of words that tell the world what you do and why you do what you do. The right tagline should inspire its reader to be better or do better while making your brand a key component of their personal growth journey. It should create a believable idea of the values your brand lives by and what it can do to improve their lives.
3. Hire a Professional
A lot of what goes into branding may be beyond your skillset as an entrepreneur. You may have great ideas of the kind of branding that will work, but you may not be in a position to do the research or work involved. Hiring a branding or marketing guru will relieve you of the need to divert your attention from your core business to come up with a brand.
From their vast experience in the field, they will know what works and what doesn’t without going through expensive trial and error. They also have the advantage of an unbiased outsider’s perspective. They will be able to see weaknesses in your branding choices that may have gone unchecked.
If you’re just getting your startup off the ground, the last thing you will want is to have the burden of wages for in-house marketing staff. The good news is you don’t have to. You can co-opt the services of a branding agency instead.
4. Logo
A logo will typically be a symbol or letter(s) or a combination of both that the public can use to identify your brand. Your logo will go a long way in communicating what your business is about to people who may never visit your offices or outlets. The image or letters you use should adequately convey the idea of the nature of your business.
Your logo should be unique and not identified as a knock-off of some popular brand. Do your research on your competition to be sure the logo you’re putting out is not only eye-catching but original. As you think about your logo’s originality and visual appeal, you should also consider where you will use it. Make sure you create it in a format that works for all branding opportunities.
5. Make it Unique
The importance of making your branding unique cannot be overstated. Given that your brand should represent your values and what you do differently from the competition, it should always stand out. Customers and potential customers should have the idea that they’re dealing with a brand that will give them a unique experience from what they already know.
6. Refresh Materials
As time goes on, it is important for you to revamp your branding. It is common practice for businesses to rebrand when looking to create a buzz or tap into a new market niche. If the time comes for you to go this route, make the exercise comprehensive to avoid being perceived as inconsistent. Ensure all locations your branding appears are updated from the print on your front doors to the logos on your social pages.
Through Your Customers’ Eyes
Perhaps the most crucial element of your branding is the certainty that your target market will receive it positively. Test market your branding on a sample of your target market before you officially launch it to the general public. Repeat this process until you have a brand you can confidently unveil.
