In business, branding is everything. It’s what sets your company apart from the competition and helps you to create a unique identity in the minds of consumers. But there are a lot of misconceptions about business branding that can lead many astray.
In this article, we’ll dispel the most common branding myths and set you on the path to creating a successful brand.
Myth #1: Branding Is All About Logo Design
Many people think that branding is all about logo design. While your logo is an important part of your branding, it’s not the only thing that matters. Your brand is about much more than just the way your company looks.
Myth #2: Branding Is Only for Big Companies
Brand equity is one of a company’s most important assets, but many small businesses believe they don’t need to bother with branding because they’re too small.
There are so many other myths, but let’s dive right into the most important things no one ever told you on your journey of building a successful brand.
The 6 Things No one Told You About Business Branding
In branding your business, you need to keep a lot of things in mind. Many people think branding is about coming up with a clever name or designing a snazzy logo, but it’s much more.
Here are six important points you should note when branding your business:
1. Branding Is More Than Just A Logo.
Your logo is an important part of your branding, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Your branding should be consistent across all channels, including your website, social media profiles, marketing materials, and even your customer service interactions.
Branding is a lot more than just designing something pretty. Your brand is your brand name. Your logo. Your colours. Your website. Your social media accounts. Everything that is associated with your company.
Your brand is your overall experience with your customers. It’s the standard you provide to your customers. It’s the standard you expect from your customer service representatives.
It’s how your services are presented to your customers. It’s how your company’s website is designed.
It’s the standard of everything you do.
2. It Takes Time To Build A Strong Brand.
It’s not something you can do overnight – it takes time and effort to build a strong brand that resonates with your target audience.
And there is no magic bullet to branding. Building a solid brand takes time and effort. And, if you do it right, it won’t be something that you have to work on constantly.
You can achieve a fantastic brand relatively quickly, but it takes consistency and patience to build a strong brand that resonates with your target audience.
3. Your Brand Is Your Business. You Create Your Brand Before You Start Your Business.
When you are new to the business world, you will probably have many questions. Some of those questions are about how your business will look and how to market it. That’s when you should start thinking about what your brand is and what it will be. What is the purpose of your business? What do you want your brand to communicate to potential clients? How do you want people to perceive your brand? What will you say about your brand on your website, social media, and other marketing materials?
Your brand is a promise that you are going to deliver on. You may not have thought about this before starting your business because branding is not something you see in the business world. But if you are thinking about starting your own business, consider it now.
4. The Only Way To Create a Strong Business Brand Is To Have A Strong Personal Brand.
Before starting with your brand, think about what you want people to think about you or your brand. Some people believe that if you have a solid personal brand, you can build a business around that. But if you have a strong personal brand, people will view your business as a side project you do for fun and not as a business you work on. They will perceive you as a hobbyist and not a professional.
5. People Don’t Buy From Brands. They Buy From People, So Your Brand Should Reflect You.
It would help if you strived to create a brand that differs from your personal brand. You can’t be both a solo business and a brand.
Branding is not what it used to be. Once, it was all about creating a look, a feel, and a personality that made a brand stand out. Today, branding is more than creating a new look and feel for your business.
In today’s digital world, consumers expect brand owners to be the centre of attention online. They want to interact with you and your company in meaningful ways, share their interests and values, engage with you in a way that is meaningful to them, and they also want to know what makes your business different from the other brands.
So, they want to trust you. Branding is about building trust.
6. Your Brand Is What People Think Of Or Say About You. Your Brand Helps You Get Your Message Across.
Your brand is your company’s personality. When people think of your company, what image does it give off? It’s what people think of when they think of your company.
Branding is not what you do to your marketing efforts. Branding is what people say about you.
Conclusion
You cannot start a business without branding. It is an important part of your business because it helps build trust with your future and current customers.
You can use branding to sell your products and services, promote your brand online, and build a relationship with your target audience. You can have a great product or service, but if no one knows about it, then it is useless.
So, if you want to start a business, focus on branding first.
