Whether you are a for-profit company or a nonprofit organization, developing your brand is essential for a strong foundation in the digital world. In today’s crowded marketplace, it’s more important than ever to stand out. A well-crafted brand can help you do that by giving your company or organization a unique identity, and a personality.
But what is branding, exactly? Simply put, it’s the process of creating a positive perception of your company or organization in the minds of your audience. It’s about more than just your logo and website though. It’s about your entire look, your feel, and your messaging combined.
If you haven’t thought about branding yet, don’t worry. I’m here to help. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the basics of branding and how to develop a brand.
The importance of branding.
A brand is more than just your logo. It’s the sum total of how your audience perceives your company or organization, from your products and services to your customer service and overall reputation.
In fact, research shows that 84% of consumers value brand experience as much as they love the product itself. That’s why it’s so important to take the time to think about your brand.
What do you want your audience to think of when they hear your name? What kind of experience do you want them to have when they do company or organization with you?
Your brand is the promise you make to your audience. It’s what they can expect from you every time they interact with your company or organization.
So how do you create a brand? Here are a few tips:
- Be clear about your values. What do you stand for? What are your guiding principles? Your values should be reflected in everything you do, from your products and services to your marketing materials.
- Be consistent. Your brand should be consistent across all channels, from your website to your social media, to your customer service.
- Be authentic. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Be genuine and transparent, and your audience will appreciate it.
Building a brand takes time and effort, but it’s worth it. A brand can help you attract new audiences, build loyalty with existing audiences, and ultimately grow your company or organization.
Brand Identity vs. Brand Image
Before we can talk about leveraging your brand for marketing, let’s break down the idea of branding a bit.
First, it’s important to think about your values, what you stand for, and what you want to tell outsiders about yourself. This is your brand identity. It’s what you want your brand to be known for.
But your brand identity is not the same as your brand image. Your brand image is how your brand is perceived. It’s what someone thinks when they hear your name or see your logo.
Ideally, your brand image should be as close to your brand identity as possible. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, your audience has a different perception of your brand than you do.
That’s why it’s important to be intentional about your branding. You need to make sure that your brand identity and your brand image are aligned.
Here are a few things to think about when defining your brand:
- What are your brand’s values? What do you stand for? What do you want your audience to know about your company?
- What personality do you want your brand to have? Do you want to be seen as fun and playful? Serious and professional? Something else?
- What emotions do you want your audience to feel when they interact with your brand? Do you want them to feel happy, confident, inspired?
- What promises do you make to your audience? What can they expect from your brand?
Once you’ve defined your brand, you need to communicate it to your audience. This means using your brand identity in all of your marketing materials, from your website to your social media posts.
The more consistent you are with your branding, the more likely your audience are to understand your brand and what you stand for. And that’s what will make your brand successful.
What is risked if you create your branding yourself?
Lack of expertise. Most companies or organizations don’t have the necessary design skills to create a professional-looking logo or custom fonts. Even if they do have some basic design skills, they may not have the time or inclination to learn the ins and outs of logo and font design.- Lack of creative talent. It can be difficult to come up with a unique and memorable logo and font on your own. There are so many logos and fonts out there, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd.
- Lack of feedback. When you design your own logo and font, you’re not getting any honest feedback from professionals. This can lead to you making mistakes that you might not have made if you had gotten feedback from others.
- Lack of branding consistency. If you design your own logo and font, it’s more likely that they won’t be consistent with the rest of your branding. This can make your brand look unprofessional and disjointed.
- Lack of scalability: they need to look good in a variety of sizes and contexts. It also means that they need to be able to be used on a variety of different materials, such as business cards, websites, and social media.
Benefits of hiring an experienced designer:
- Expertise: Experienced designers have the skills and knowledge to create high-quality designs that will meet your needs. They know the latest trends and best practices, and they can help you create a design that is both visually appealing and effective.
- Creativity: Experienced designers are creative thinkers who can come up with unique and original ideas. They can help you stand out from the competition and create a design that is truly memorable.
- Time savings: Hiring an experienced designer can save you time. They will be able to create a design that is both professional and on-brand, so you won’t have to spend hours trying to do it yourself.
- Peace of mind: Hiring an experienced designer can give you peace of mind. You can be confident that your design will be in good hands, and that you will be happy with the results.
If you are looking for a designer to help you with your branding, marketing materials, or website, it is important to hire someone who is experienced and has a good portfolio. This will ensure that you get a design that is both professional and effective.
Some additional benefits of hiring an experienced designer:
They can help you understand your audience. A good designer will take the time to understand your target audience and what they will respond to. This will help them create a design that is both visually appealing and effective.- They can help you stay on budget. Experienced designers know how to work within a budget. They will be able to create a design that meets your needs without overspending.
- They can help you get the most out of your marketing materials. A good designer can help you create marketing materials that are both visually appealing and effective. This will help you reach your target audience and achieve your marketing goals.
Branding is an important part of any company or organization, and it can be difficult to do well on your own. If you’re not sure whether you have the skills or time to design your own logo and font, it’s best to hire a professional designer. A professional designer will be able to create a logo and font that is both professional-looking and consistent with your branding. They’ll also be able to give you feedback on your ideas and help you to create a logo and font that you love.
The importance of brand in marketing is a big topic, and more than we can address in a blog post. You can learn more by taking our free course.
The benefits of hiring an experienced designer:
- Expertise: Experienced designers have the skills and knowledge to create high-quality designs that will meet your needs.
- Creativity: Experienced designers are creative thinkers who can come up with unique and original ideas.
- Time savings: Hiring an experienced designer can save you time.
- Peace of mind: Hiring an experienced designer can give you peace of mind.
