WHAT IS BUSINESS BRANDING?
The terms brand and logo are often used interchangeably. Although a logo can be the symbol representing a business, it’s not the entirety of the brand. Creating a logo is one small step towards developing a strong brand identity.
A brand identity is made up of how you communicate your products or service, what your values are, and what you want people to feel when they interact.
Your product / service leaves an impression on your customers long after the sale. Brand identity is the process of shaping that impression.
Why is branding important?
As the embodiment of almost everything your business is and does, a brand lives and evolves in the minds and hearts of consumers. Its identity is crucial to the business's future.
Let’s take a look at five ways a strong brand identity can help your business be successful:
1. Improves recognition.
For all intents and purposes, your brand's logo is the face of your business. But that face should do more than look cool or interesting - a logo's contribution to brand identity is associative, too. It tells the public that this image means the name of your company.
2. Builds trust and credibility.
Having a brand identity doesn't just make your product more memorable; it makes your brand more authoritative in the marketplace. A brand that establishes a face, and maintains that face consistently over time, develops credibility among its competitors and trust among its customers.
3. Advertising impressions.
A brand identity is a template for everything you would include on an advertisement for your business - whether that ad is in print, online, or a pre-roll commercial on YouTube. A brand with a face and industry credibility is well prepared to promote itself and make impressions on potential buyers.
4. Your company's mission.
When you create an identity for your brand, you're giving it something to stand for. That, in turn, gives your company a purpose. We all know companies have mission statements, right? Well, you can't have one without first giving your brand an identity.
5. Generating new customers and delighting existing ones.
A brand identity - one with a face, trust, and a mission - attracts people who agree with what your brand has to offer. But once these people become customers, that same brand identity gives them a sense of belonging. A good product generates customers, but a good brand generates advocates.
Also, companies and groups seem to buy or invest in other companies, not so much for it’s products, services or materials but for the value that’s attached to the brand.
How to create a brand identity:
Research your audience, value proposition, and competition.
Design the logo and a template for it.
Integrate language you can use to connect, advertise, and embody on social media.
Know what to avoid.
Monitor your brand to maintain its brand identity.
