I’m sure many business owners wonder, “How is my business perceived by the public? By potential clients? By current clients? By my staff members and employees?”
Appearance has something to do with that, and the first impression most have of a business is its brand identity — whether it’s seen on the business storefront, on a marketing brochure or a website.
Just about every business has a logo. But not every business has a brand identity, and even fewer have a thoughtful brand identity. A thoughtful brand identity is one that is truly representative of your business. If your company is dynamic, your brand identity can be dynamic. If your products are friendly, your brand identity can be friendly. Here are some reasons why its worth it to have a professional designer create not just a logo, but a thoughtful brand identity that’s a great representation of your business, it’s style, and your ideal audience.
You’ll ask yourself some BIG, helpful brand questions in the creation process. When creating your brand identity kit, you’ll consider “What are your brand characteristics?”, “What do you value?”, “How do you want to be seen in the eyes of a potential customer?” Answering these questions helps business owners work out their positioning and values, and can help set direction in so many ways.
It will attract your target audience without saying a word. A thoughtful brand identity creates a great first impression — how many times have you picked a product off the store shelf because you liked the look and packaging? Conversely, a bad brand identity creates a bad first impression.
It will make your business familiar and memorable. A thoughtful brand identity is more easily remembered by customers —especially if you are consistent in using it. People do business with familiar faces, and your brand identity is your company’s initial face.
It will help uniquely brand your product or service as worth the investment. The objective of branding is to create the perception that your product or service is unlike no other, unique in the marketplace, and worth spending more money for. A thoughtful brand identity can definitely help in the process.
You’ll have an easier time with marketing. A thoughtful brand identity says volumes — so you don’t have to spend as much time and money telling people about it! You have your standards (like color palette, type, logo etc.) in your back pocket, so creating your own quick graphics on-the-fly makes easy work because you have guidelines to follow — no more guessing what colors or fonts to use.<
You’ll appear more professional and trustworthy. A thoughtful brand identity tells your customers that your business is well-planned, professional, trustworthy, and here to stay. This can be so powerful if you are a new business — a great new logo can make it look like you’re professional and have been in business for years!
You’ll gain extra confidence and provide ignite company pride. One of my favorite comments I hear from my clients is that their thoughtful brand identity gave them added confidence as business-owner — their materials made them look polished and feel empowered. And their employees had a newfound sense of pride and energy for the business (plus loved their new branded apparel!)
It’s cool. Sometimes a thoughtful brand identity can create the “wow” factor. Sports franchises have found that their merchandise sells much better if their team logo looks cool, even if the team stinks.