Your brand is not just there to be recognised. It is there to shout about who you are and what you have to offer; it is everything that you stand for such as your values and your mission; it is what sets you apart from your competitors and it is what emotionally connects you to your target audience. Therefore, it is pivotal that you get your brand right.
When it comes to your brand a common mistake that business owners make is to think that the brand is just the logo, or that the logo can be used in different layouts or styles when being promoted. For example, on social media some businesses use standard templates or different filters to promote their brand, but this runs the risk of your brand becoming unrecognisable.
One key factor to consider when building your brand is consistency, and this must be done in EVERYTHING that you do when marketing your brand. This consistency should run through any fonts, colours, images, logos or slogans. Therefore, whether it is a letterhead, a business card, a poster, a website or a social media post, there should always be consistency with the way your brand is presented.
If you look at some of the major brands such as Nike, Cadbury or Coca-Cola, you begin to understand that consistency works alongside simplicity. Nike’s Swoosh “or the tick”, Cadbury’s swirly capital ‘C’ and Coca-Cola’s iconic red are consistently used to promote the brands. These brands have been around for years and their clear and simple logo is recognised everywhere.
So, this is where I tell you to know your brand and to create brand guidelines. If someone else designed your brand then they should have provided you with a guide on how to use it, which may be included in the price or with an additional fee. The use of brand guidelines would eliminate the time spent trying to understand how your brand is presented, such as the logo’s positioning, size and colour scheme. This means that should another marketing company begin promoting your brand they will have a comprehensive understanding of how your brand should be presented.
Past conversations with business owners influenced some of my decisions when it came to building my own brand. Whenever I used to say that I worked in marketing, I would usually get the response – “I need marketing”. This phrase stayed with me and was also a driving force for me setting up my own business.
With a brand name established, it was now time to consider a design for my logo. I decided to put the “i” in lower case because it was more recognisable and because it symbolises me – as a singular person – starting my own business. In terms of colour, I liked the contrast of orange on black, not to mention my natural ginger locks. Personalising your brand can go a long way in getting your target audience to get to know you and your business.
Branding can be a fun exercise which is why you should enjoy it not avoid it, and try to connect it to yourself on a personal level because people will buy from those who they relate to in some way.
Does your brand deliver? Some food for thought.
