Branding is one of the most important exercises your company will engage in, but if you’re new to the world of business as a first-time founder, then it might be hard to understand. What is branding, why is it important, and how is ‘branding’ separate from your brand as an entity?
Today we’re helping to answer those questions, so you can feel more confident that you’re making the right choices for your business.
Defining A Brand
Before we look at branding, we have to understand what a brand is, because it’s a deeper, more complex concept than you think. Your brand is the image consumers form of your company, the personality they assign to it in their heads, in order to make emotional human decisions about it. On one level, people will choose where to shop because of the prices and the quality of the goods on offer, but the deeper decision is because a certain brand makes them feel more comfortable and at home – some people feel Waitrose is the ‘natural’ place for them to shop, while others prefer Tesco on a gut level.
The important thing about a ‘brand’ is that customers construct it for themselves – every interaction they have with your company gives them pieces of the jigsaw, but they have to put it together for themselves. To help with this, you could work with an experienced branding agency and spend time reflecting on the business’ strengths. This will provide customers with materials that they will interpret in the right way, thus creating the brand you’re aiming for.
Branding
This is what branding is: the elements of your wider brand that you have direct control over. The visual look of your publicity materials, the ‘voice’ your copy speaks to the customer in, logos and other distinctive features that tie your products to your posters, your website to your bricks and mortar stores and make it clear they all belong to the same entity.
Moreover, how an individual brands their business may vary depending on the business model they choose to adopt. While general branding principles apply universally across all types of businesses-such as consistency in messaging and visual identity-franchise branding specifically emphasizes creating a unified brand experience across multiple franchise locations. This approach builds on general principles by ensuring that each franchise reflects the core values of the brand. Similarly, co-branding involves a strategic partnership between two or more brands that collaborate to create a product or service that not only leverages the strengths of each brand but also adds value for customers. Despite these differences, the main idea remains the same: to establish a clear identity, values, and messaging that effectively connect with customers.
Making Good Choices
The pressure is on you to make good choices for your branding. If you don’t form the right impression and attract the right customers the first time, you may have to engage in an expensive rebrand that not only costs money but also undermines the momentum and recognition you’ve built up.
One critical element to consider in this process is architectural signage. You may ask, “what is architectural signage?” It is any signage specifically designed to integrate with the architecture of a building, serving various purposes such as wayfinding, branding, information sharing, naming, and locating. It is often custom-designed to become a seamless part of the overall design of a structure.
Furthermore, they help create a strong first impression and reinforce your brand identity through its design and placement. They are particularly beneficial for a wide range of sectors, including corporate offices, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, public spaces like parks and museums, and retail environments. For instance, businesses can use architectural signage and custom vinyl sticker printing services to enhance their brand identity and create a professional image that resonates with clients and employees alike.
Another important element is packaging design. Like signage, packaging tends to serve as a vital visual representation of your brand. It communicates your brand’s values and personality through color schemes, typography, and imagery. Thoughtful packaging could enhance user experience while protecting the product, making it easier to use or transport.
Additionally, working with a market research company gets you vital branding intelligence: hard facts and figures about what your chosen market reacts to, distilled into comprehensible, actionable insights that inform you as make choices about how to build a brand that tells your customers they’re right to choose you.
