Why Good Branding Is Essential
If someone asked you to identify some of the most recognisable company logos in the old days, you might have mentioned Coca Cola, Nike, Ford, etc. Each of these companies has a globally recognisable logo, brand, market messaging and reputation. These are particularly important when managing a global business. They significantly contribute to their international sales and revenues, and their brand and identity are highly protected.
Today branding is still as important as ever for businesses; although you may not be a nationally or globally recognised business, how you brand your business has implications for start-ups and small businesses. It is vital to create an identity that reflects your business and your approach to dealing with your customers.
What happens when you go to a website, and it looks unprofessional, messy, disjointed? – you tend to move on to the next website and don't buy from them. Even if the business has the best price, maybe you think they are not trustworthy, or the quality of their products is poor too.
Often when I meet a client for the first time, if they have created a website, I will look to get an initial perception of where they are positioning themselves, how much they have invested in their business and their overall professionalism. Some are good; however, many are poorly designed, have too many colours and fonts, and are generally hard to navigate.
Imagery is also an essential aspect of your digital presence, and carefully selected photography is vital to your website's overall authenticity and quality / overall brand image. Poor photography will put customers off straight away. Depending on your business, you may well be able to use free stock images, and an agency can help you with this. However, ensure that the stock photography doesn't look too generic or obviously stock. Photography is critical and worth perhaps a bit of investment/advice to get right.
Benefits to branding your business
There are numerous reasons you should invest in creating a brand and identity for your business. These include:
To give your business an Identity.
To provide consistency across all your assets.
Shows you have invested in your business
It makes you look more professional
Shows that you are offering quality services and products
Builds trust with your customers
You look more established
It makes you feel proud
Unifies your team and employees
What does branding include (not all will be appropriate)
Visual Identity – Logo, colour palette, typeface, photography, pattern/icon style (if needed)
Stationery Design - Business cards and letterheads
Presentations - PowerPoint template
Digital – Design and build - Website for desktop and mobile.
Social Templates- Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter
Packaging design
Print – Brochures, menus
Signage
How do I create a professional-looking brand and identity?
There are several approaches to brand and create an identity for your company
Do it yourself
You may be a fantastic artist, but this isn't the same as being a graphic designer who specialises in creating professional looking identities and websites. Some rules need to be applied when forming a professional looking logo, website etc., to present your business in the best possible light and attract customers. Doing your own will initially seem the cheapest way to start. Still, it will be time-consuming and probably will result in a visual identity that is incoherent and amateurish.
Use an online package.
Several online platforms provide some of the tools and templates needed to create your brand and identity, such as Canva. These platforms offer some free assets, but you will often need to pay for the Pro versions to get the best out of them. These platforms are ok if you have a minimal budget, but the output often looks like it had come from an online platform. The second issue is that they still rely on you coming up with the ideas and tying all the assets such as logo, website, social media, packaging etc., together. I have known people to go down this route, only after much invested time, to want to start all over.
Use a graphic design agency
These small businesses specialise in this work, and they work with large corporates to small businesses.They will cost you a little more money but trust me; it will be worth it and a faster way to everything you want. Also, as you grow, for example, offer new products or services, open a new store, change your menus - they will be able to turn these around very quickly as they will know and understand your brand and identity.A good graphic design agency will provide you with 2 or 3 options (or, as they call them – Routes) to choose from, so you are still in control, and you can blend them to get precisely what you want.
Depending on what type of business you are in, I suggest you set aside between £2k and 7k to get a very professional job done.
I have negotiated a significant discount with a leading graphic design agency to support my clients through the design and implementation of their business design and identity.If you would like to know more, please contact me at alex@eigercoaching.co.uk, and I will put you in touch.
Alex Miller is a professional business coach and mentor, working with start-ups and small businesses in the UK. Find out more by clicking here Eiger Coaching