If you’ve got a great start-up idea, a revolutionary business plan or have been running a tidy company for the past decade, it’s never a bad idea to sit down and focus on your brand.
If you want your business to become a runaway success, you’re going to have to nail your first impression each and every time. If you’re polite, then you’re not going to have any bother pulling this off in person, but the trouble is that nowadays, you’re not going to be the first impression all of the time.
The first impression made by your business will be its brand, usually in the form of a website or social media page. This is why your brand needs to be consistent from the get-go across all your platforms.
So, if your logo isn’t the same on your social media feeds, get it sorted! That being said, if you don’t have a logo, you might want to get in touch with someone who can create that for you. A solid visual identity is an amazing kick-start to the business process and even if you’ve been running for a while, a new logo or rebranding can work wonders for refreshing your business. Get a logo and relevant fonts.
What is a brand, then? It’s a set of signifiers that instantly connect images or words with you and your company. It’s so important as it attaches your business and products to images that might not have much to do with your business, but will still get into the mind of people around the world. Look at Coca-Cola for example; for what is a relatively simple soft drink, the brand is so much more powerful than the product. Good branding will make people look past the simplicity of your services and products.
Good branding gives you an edge, and it makes you different. Your business may have a sea of competitors, so it’s of paramount importance that you get your brand produced and identified to give you the edge.
If your website is where your business is conducted, ensure that it’s well designed and has unique touches, it’s your storefront after all and with the creativity that the internet allows for, there’s no excuse for not wanting to impress!
If your business has a physical presence, deck it out with your brand. Leaflets, flyers and banners from a printing company will do wonders for your storefront and ensure that everything is consistent, no matter if it is digital or physical. Take care to make sure that your branding is consistent as errors will be noticed and they do look lazy.
No matter your business, branding can give it an edge that will see it cut forward into the future, but remember – it’s not all about branding. Whilst branding can serve as a fantastic cover to flaws in your business, this is only skin deep and if your product or services are lacklustre, this will be noticed sooner or later. That being said, branding your business is of paramount importance and can launch you a long way.