What Is Branding & Why Is It Important?

The big question is, in our over-saturated market, how do you stand out amongst thousands of similar businesses all claiming to be as good (or even better) than you? The answer is branding. Branding defines who you are in business. When done correctly, branding can improve recognition, build trust, inspire employees and ultimately generate new customers.

A successful brand will:

Build Recognition Amongst Consumers

While your logo is not the bee all and end-all in branding, you should put a significant amount of time into coming up with a professionally designed and memorable logo. Your logo should give the right impression of your brand so when people see it, they instantly think and feel the way you want them to.

Build Trust & Credibility Which Will Ultimately Lead To Customer Loyalty

When a brand presents themselves in a professional way, and when there is significant social proof that their products and services are high-quality, consumers will come to trust that brand and feel comfortable spending their hard-earned money with them.

Deliver Messages Clearly And Effectively

Most consumers don’t have the time to decipher what your brand is or what you stand for. It is your job to ensure your messages consistently create a story that shows them why they should pick your product or service above your competitors.

Build Emotional Connections With Your Audience

Most people make purchases based on emotions rather than logic. If you give your consumers a reason to care and the opportunity to feel something when they see your brand, you are giving them a persuasive reason to buy.

Branding goes far beyond just your business name and logo. What we are really talking about here is the overall customer experience and their perception of you. This includes everything from your business name, logo, your website, the type and frequency of content you share, your social media presence, the way you answer your phone to the way your customers experience your staff. The biggest mistake small businesses make is viewing themselves as just a business and not a brand.

But how do you know if your brand is strong enough to make you stand out? Start by asking the following questions:

• Is my brand relatable to my target audience? Will they instantly ‘get it’?
• Does my brand reflect the values I want to showcase to my customers?
• Does my brand share my unique selling point/s?
• Does my brand highlight the benefits of buying and using my products or services?

If you’re not sure of the answers or if you answered no to any of the above questions, then you may need to refresh your branding efforts. A significant amount of time needs to go into creating a consistent and professional brand or hiring the right creative minds to do this for you.

Brands are absolutely everywhere in today’s world; people listen to brands, wear brands, eat brands and travel by brands. Most importantly people love to tell others about the brands they like and even more so about the brands they don’t! But you can’t tell someone about a brand you can’t remember!