Design Method
Why Branding Is Important to Businesses of All Sizes
The Branding of your business is a concept that many companies still struggle to understand. Many will admit to not knowing exactly what it is or if it even delivers tangible results. But, with so many misconceptions about branding both online and offline, it’s easy to see why.
Depending on who you speak to, you might be advised that the logo is the brand to your business, small companies don’t need it, only large corporations can afford the luxury, or it’s something that companies need to do once. All of these are of course complete nonsense.
In a digital world, you have probably already Googled everyone from your Tinder date, the old-flame you haven’t seen since school, the holiday hotel you have just booked to your prospective employer. Individuals are now realising that people might be Googling them too and are tidying up their digital footprint to make way for a carefully managed personal brand for the world to see.
Personal branding is what makes you stand out and celebrate your uniqueness. It defines who you are both online and offline to potential clients, customers and even partner. Essentially, your brand centers around you as an individual and is much more than just a name or a design.
If we are managing our social profiles in this way, a small or medium-sized business would be foolish to ignore or recognise the importance of their brand. Branding for businesses defines everything. It’s how you speak to your customers, how you act in a professional capacity and how your values, and personality are perceived by your online audience.
“If we are managing our social profiles in this way, a small or medium-sized business would be foolish to ignore or recognise the importance of their brand.”
Regardless of the size of your business, customer base, or social reach, it’s essential to build a brand around your company, product or services. However, it’s equally much more than just the aesthetic of your company. Branding isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution either; it’s something that takes considerable thought and is unique to every business in a continuously evolving marketplace.
The size of your organisation has become irrelevant, and old school marketing methods are no longer working. Malcolm Gladwell famously highlighted that “Buyers make most decisions by relying on their two-second first impressions based on stored memories, images, and feelings.” In other words, how you present your business to the world has never been more critical.
It’s true that technically, branding will not make you any money straight out of the box. However, it will make your clients choose your service over your competitors by simply humanising your business through branding.
As a consumer, would you choose to do business that involved a free WordPress theme, clichéd stock footage and list of generic services? Or would you be more attracted to the company that is proud of its people, their stories, inspirations and engages with their audience? I suspect you would choose the latter, and these are just a few reasons why branding is crucial for businesses of any size.
If we are honest with ourselves, many of our purchasing decisions are based on emotions rather than logic. So why not try to create an emotional connection with your clients and visitors to your website? Earning the trust of your audience also provides social proof that your products or services offer value in more ways than one.
Positioning yourself as industry experts through content is another way to win the hearts and minds of your customers. This can be achieved by tackling the big questions people are discussing in their industry or providing solutions to problems when they are searching online for answers. It shows you not only understand what they need, but you actually care too.
Ultimately, branding is the personality, heart, and soul of your business. It’s what makes your company different and stand out from your competitors. At the recent Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, Adobe, CEO, Shantanu Narayen told 13,000 attendees that people buy experiences, not products and it’s usually the sum of the experience that stays with them and builds affinity.
Your customers are now everywhere. They can be found on a laptop, tablet, mobile, social, and in your store. Serving them with one unique brand and authentic voice across all available channels is possible the most critical area for your business to focus its efforts.
Here at Pelling, we understand how unique you and your business are and do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. We enjoy learning your principles, values, voice, what you stand for just as much as the visual elements of colour, line and depth to your branding.
If you would like a conversation about how to build a design a stand-out brand that you and your customers – will love with someone that gets what you want to achieve, please contact us or comment below.