What is Branding and Why Do I Need It?

So you started a business and maybe you are wondering: what is branding and why do I need it?

So let’s look at some definitions of Branding;

Dictionary.com says, A kind or variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic.

Seth Godin says, A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.

Branding really takes care of your whole customer experience. It’s everything from your logo, color palette, tagline, typography (the font that you use), your tone of voice, packaging, blogging, social media, and so much more. Think of it like the personality of your brand.  The same way you have an individual personality, you want your brand to also have a unique personality. It’s the way your customer perceives you. Therefore, it’s critical to be aware of your brand experience and create one that you want to have. This requires a well, thought-out plan and strategy.

The goal with branding is to create something that is so memorable that your customers will recognize it even if it is taken out of context! Many startups neglect to spend necessary time thinking about their brand and who they are. Trust me – it will have a huge impact on your business. Below are reasons why you need proper branding.

Why You Need Branding

1. Recognition. Your branding needs to be consistent and easy to recognize. People tend to do business with companies they are familiar with. This is why your brand color, logo, and font are very important. For example, our brand colors are magenta, black, white, and leopard.  And we try to use these colors all over our website, social media, etc. so that when people see that magenta color they automatically think of us! It’s great when we get people on Instagram sharing photos with us that use our magenta color saying they thought of us when they saw it!  So if you do this and do it right, over time it will begin to work.

2. Competition. Especially in today’s world, it’s crucial to stand out from the crowd. You need to distinguish yourself from your competition, which can be done with your unique branding. You can easily start this by making your Instagram more aesthetically-pleasing, including branded content and your own colors. If you need help with this, check out our 30-Day Instagram Starter pack!

3. Emotional Experience. As said before, your brand is the personality of your company. This comes across in not only visual elements (there’s a reason most banks use a darker shade of blue as it evokes trust), but also in the tone of voice and writing style that you use. From the copy on your website and email newsletters, to the captions you post on social media, there are numerous options to display your tone of voice and writing style. And this will create an emotional connection with your target customers. The same way a song can make us feel happy or sad, strong or weak, energized, or relaxed, your tone can also create and draw out an emotion. So really think about the type of emotion you want to evoke.

4. Clarity. Branding forces you to get clear with the way your brand is portrayed to your customers, as well as your staff. A clear brand strategy provides the clarity that your employees need for motivation, direction, and success. It tells them how to act and meet all your goals.

5. Reputation. As a small startup business, your branding represents not only your company but also YOU and your promise to your customer. That’s why it’s important to make sure everything is on brand, otherwise you could easily lose your devoted customers and confuse new ones.

6. Focus. Branding also helps you stay focused with your target customers. It’s easy to think that you can just market to everyone, however when you take the time to really get clear on your branding, you will simultaneously also get clear on your target customer. You’ll be more strategic and know what to put out there with your marketing efforts, which will save you both time and money and help you get sales quicker.

7. Value. Last but not least, good branding done over a long enough period of time, will actually add value to your company. Imagine if Pepsi wanted to sell their company today, they would be able to get top dollar for it as they’ve built up a great brand name and image. The company becomes worth much more than just it’s physical assets. Thus your goal is to develop a brand that creates a value that exceeds its physical value. Make sense?

So how effective is your brand?  Is your Instagram and website clear? Comment below and let us know!

Need some help in this area?  If so, we’re here to assist you with our services and courses. Just contact us below!

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