What is Branding & Why is it Important?

A brand is a marketing strategy which creates a name, symbol and design that identifies and differentiates your products or services apart from other businesses. 

It is important to have your own brand, because not only is it what creates a memorable impression on consumers, but it also allows your customers and clients to know what to expect from your company. Your brand is built to be a true representation of who you are as a business, your values that you represent, the trust your customers can rely upon, the motivation you provide to your employees and how you wish to be perceived publicly.

 When the phrase “branding” is brought to the table, a lot of businesses and clients simply turn to the easy solution of just a logo. However, branding goes far beyond just your business name and logo, it is an experience. 

 What we are really talking about here is that you should be investing time and money into your branding for your business, by making sure it presents itself professionally, stands out from others and easily provides a clear brand message of who you are, what you do and what your values are. A brand can be recognised as everything from your business name, logo, your website, the colours and fonts you use, the type and frequency of content you share, the way you sign off your emails, the uniform your employees wear, your social media presence, the way you answer your phone, down to the way your customers experience your staff. The biggest mistake small businesses make today is viewing themselves as just a business and not a brand. 

 So how do we identify a successful brand?

WE BUILD RECOGNITION AMONGST CONSUMERS:

While your logo is not the bee all and end-all in branding, you should put a significant amount of time into coming up with a professionally designed and memorable logo and business name. They should give the right impression of your brand so when people see it, they instantly know, think and feel the way you want them to.

WE BUILD TRUST & CREDIBILITY WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY:

When a brand presents themselves in a professional way, and when there is significant social proof that their products and services are high-quality, consumers will come to trust that the brand and feel comfortable spending their hard-earned money with them.

WE DELIVER MESSAGES CLEARLY AND EFFECTIVELY:

Most consumers don't have the time to decipher what your brand is or what you stand for. It is your job to ensure your messages consistently create a story that shows them why they should pick your product or service above your competitors.

WE BUILD EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS WITH YOUR AUDIENCE:

Most people make purchases based on emotions rather than logic. If you give your consumers a reason to care and the opportunity to feel something when they see your brand, you are giving them a persuasive reason to buy.

But how do you know if your brand is strong enough to make you stand out? Start by asking the following questions:

-       Is my brand relatable to my target audience? Will they instantly ‘get it’?

-       Does my brand reflect the values I want to showcase to my customers?

-       Does my brand share my unique selling point/s?

-       Does my brand highlight the benefits of buying and using my products or services?

If you’re not sure of the answers or if you answered no to any of the above questions, then you may need to refresh your branding efforts. A significant amount of time needs to go into creating a consistent and professional brand, so hiring the right creative minds to do this for you is the most efficient way to ensure this.  

That’s why when you start your branding project with Holly B. Design, we ask you to complete our ‘New Client Enquiry Form’. It is full of details about the project outcomes, but also it also provides an insight to us into your business. It allows for us to pull apart your brand and make sure we are targeting to YOUR customers, representing YOUR business values and promoting YOUR business story.  

Brands are absolutely everywhere in today's world; people listen to brands, wear brands, eat brands and travel by brands. Most importantly people love to tell others about the brands they like and even more so about the brands they don't! But you can’t tell someone about a brand you can’t remember!

 Unsure of where to start? Get in touch with our team and see how we can work on turning your ideas into a reality!