Article

Rick Barron
Rick Barron 6 September 2019

The Basics of Branding

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets. But what exactly does "branding" mean? How does it affect a small business like yours?

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets. But what exactly does "branding" mean? How does it affect a small business like yours?

It’s really very easy, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors'.

The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials, all of which should integrate your logo, communicate your brand.

Brand Strategy & Equity

Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Consistent, strategic branding leads to strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company's products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command.

Defining Your Brand

Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the questions below:

  • What is your company's mission?
  • What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
  • What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?
  • What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?

Do your research. Learn the needs, habits, and desires of your current and prospective customers. And don't rely on what you think they think. Know what they think.

Value of Your brand

Every brand, even if it’s not a big one, has value. It might be small or it might be large, but it has value. Your brand also matters probably a bit more than you might think, especially if you are just starting. Building a recognizable and valuable brand is part of every business, though we don’t think about it in those terms necessarily

Branding Improves Recognition

Being recognized is important to make sure advertising is more effective and people are return customers. Becoming a recognized brand, even if just in a single small niche or your part of town makes you familiar, which is one of the first steps to building trust with potential new customers. Making sure that your brand is coherent across all platforms and conveys the message you want to share ensures that you are recognized and remembered the way you want to be.

Branding Supports Design

When you go to start advertising, build a website, or even make a flyer or business card, having a brand supports all of those design efforts and saves you money in the long run. Branding and the guidelines we create with it helps make sure future design work follows the same rules and creates the cohesive brand you want. It also saves anyone designing for your company time and effort as they know exactly what your brand is.

Branding always makes for better marketing. The key is everything matches and makes sense. When you create a brand you are really putting into graphics, and words, the story of the company. It’s who and why which makes the job of marketing easier and more effective when you do something.

No matter your size, your brand has value and should be a tool and asset you use to bring more success to your business. Hopefully, this list has helped you see some more value in your brand, and see where it can be when created thoughtfully and with purpose.

About the author

Hi, my name is Rick and I thank you for reading this article!

I explore to learn new stuff every day and here I will share all my experiences and thoughts with you.

You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram. :)

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