You need a brand, not just a logo: how to start a brand
A logo is the cornerstone of your business, while your brand is the welcome mat, salesman, front desk admin, and customer service follow-up.
I have plenty of customers who don't believe they need a brand, and I always tell them they are wrong. A logo is not the face of your business, and it should not be all you do to brand your business.
By definition, a logo is a symbol or design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc. This can come in the form of an icon, type mark, or badge.
A brand, defined by David Oglivy, is the intangible sum of a product’s attributes. All of the things you cannot touch, but you can certainly feel them emotionally. Studies say a brand that is consistent across all platforms can increase revenue by $23.
Let’s look at this on a larger scale, the Olympics for example. The five-colored rings we see on athletes, promotional material, and tv commercials are the logo for the Olympics. The pride we feel as we watch our nation’s athletes compete for the medal, the emotions we feel as we watch the awards ceremony, and the full-body shivers we get as a bar full of people chant ‘U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!” when our athletes take the lead… that is the brand of the Olympics. The feelings you have, the emotions, the desire to attend one day… all of that is what makes up a brand.
So how can you implement this into your business? A few ways:
Put some thought into your logo.
I never said a logo wasn’t important. Rather, I believe a logo should always be well thought out and accompanied by a brand. This means, if you are going to DIY your logo, consider colors, font choices, icons, readability, and scale. If you don’t understand each one of these functions and want a high-functioning brand, consider hiring it out.
2. Hone in on your ideal client
It is important to remember you are in business to solve your client’s problems, not your own. Pink maybe your favorite color, but if your customers are predominately males aged 30-50, pink is not going to attract your ideal client. Getting deep with who your ideal client is, and what their problem is will help you create a better brand.
3. Review your systems
73% of customers love a brand because of their customer service. Creating smooth client touch-points and processes will lead to much happier clients! Your calendar and stress level will thank you too. If you are a service-based business, take a look at your onboarding process. If there are any sticky points, see what you can do to mitigate them, or if customers really rave about your onboarding process, use that in your sales and marketing tactics.
4. Keep consistent themes
This ranges from your online presence to marketing, to promotional items. Creating a visual brand and following your brand guidelines will keep you in line. Studies say it takes a customer seeing a brand 5-7 times before they recognize it. If you can make sure all of your visual elements (logos, fonts, colors, etc.) are the same in every location a customer will find you, then you increase your brand recognition.
5. Spend your money wisely
It is tempting to DIY your brand and call it good, but I would advise you carefully in this step. Using free programs to create your logo is not unique to your business and your brand. THOUSANDS of other businesses similar to yours could be out marketing with the exact same logo. Remember what I said about brand recognition - if your logo is similar, you may be getting mistaken for another company! Work with a designer to create a logo (and go for the brand package if they offer it!) to develop visual elements that are unique to you. Instead of paying $200 for that email marketing system, or $500 for a generic sign, maybe you should consider investing in your visual elements and brand strategy.
Your brand should be unique to your business and the product or service that you offer. Don’t hesitate to shop designers and find the one that connects with you the best, because they will most likely understand your industry and deliver the highest quality brand for your business.
Don’t neglect this part of your business. To customers, your brand may be more important than the service or product you offer. Happy customers and clients equal greater income.
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I’m Brenna - and I can’t wait to chat with you about all things business and rural life. Thanks for reading!
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