Branding
How to do good branding?
Be different but genuine, find an emotional connection to your audience and keep your brand consistent across the board, from the visual identity to the messaging. Do this and wham! You establish trust and familiarity.
Being authentic should come easy: do not overpromise on what you can deliver and do not pretend to be something you are not. People can tell a poser from a mile away and there is no bigger turn off.
Why is any of this important?
1 | Recognition: A strong brand is instantly recognizable and memorable, making it easier for people to remember and refer to your business.
2 | Loyalty: A well-established brand can create a sense of loyalty and trust with its customers, leading to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth.
3 | Differentiation: As mentioned earlier, branding is important in setting your business apart from the competition and creating a unique identity.
See the thing is, when people hear the word branding they think logo, maybe a corporate ID package like the one below we made for PAS, a tech company in South Florida, but the visuals are just the start.
Your brand is how your client sees you, from the tone in your messaging to the way you sound on the phone or a commercial. When you keep it consistent, you always look and sound the same. It seems like you are an entity, with a personality. This not only makes you seem more authentic and trustworthy, it also provides clients that come back with a familiarity that feels just right.
Something we see often is a company saying, well, we like (insert favorite brand here) and we want to look like them! And yes, Apple does come up, but the thing is this, each company really is different, they have their own way of solving problems and their own way of being them. If you brand yourself right you should look like you, not Apple.
Another thing we are a bit gung-ho about is that whoever you hire to help you with your brand should not have a style. Having a style is just bringing your personal prejudices, cultural references and biases to the table. When you realize that neither you nor the agency you hired is your target audience and that what you “like” doesn’t really matter, is when the magic really happens. Talk to your audience, not yourself.