If you’re in charge of a business, you need to understand the importance of branding. How effective yours is may make a critical difference to the bottom line. Whether you’re developing a startup and marketing from scratch or you own an established company that needs a refresh, there are practices you should follow for superior results.
What Branding Is
Branding is everything that creates the overall impression of your corporate image. Elements include your name, logo, slogan, and marketing materials.
Good branding imparts to the public what an operation stands for. Think about the most successful brands in the world. Their names evoke more than thoughts concerning a product. They cause us to think in ways that make us want to pay for their services.
At its most effective, branding stirs emotions and a sense of trust that increases patron comfort levels. Positive branding makes companies feel less like faceless entities and more as though they are friends or family members.
How Branding Affects Customers
Branding has a deeply subconscious impact on patrons. Even if they understand how it motivates their purchases, it has a distinct effect on buying habits. It can mean the difference between surging sales and languishing inventory.
It also has a way of bettering one’s aura of prestige and respectability, essential qualities for companies that want to continue to thrive. Without effective branding, even satisfied consumers may stop being loyal and seek other vendors that can fulfill their needs.
Colors can impact whether branding is effective. Red, for instance, gives people a sense of excitement that works well for many retailers. Green is closely associated with nature, so it’s perfect for entities that desire an association with environmental causes and perspectives.
Ways Branding Reaches Customers
There are many methodologies for getting branding to infiltrate public perception. Doing so does not happen without repeated effort. Statisticians studying the business landscape estimate it takes between five and seven impressions before someone remembers a brand. And it may take considerably longer before these individuals develop feelings of attachment.
Create a logo that reflects your corporate mission. If you have the money, hire a professional graphic designer. The job is too important to leave to an amateur. Debrief your illustrator about the viewpoint you’re trying to instill.
Old-school platforms, such as television, radio, newspapers, and billboards, are often expensive. Spreading your corporate message online is likely more affordable. Banner ads are a great way of getting your entity in front of more eyes. Another is social media. Marketing on social media properly can be tricky if you don’t already know how to do so. Working with the skilled online marketing experts at Greenslant can make all the difference and help you avoid potential pitfalls.
A less high-tech form of growing your name is the printed brochure. There is still something deeply impactful about thumbing through a glossy booklet or flyer. Paying someone to cobble together a pamphlet tends to be costly. Consider saving money by tackling this project in-house. There are free brochure design templates on the web that make the task easier. All you’ll have to do is add your images, text, and custom design flourishes until you have a catalog you’re proud to show off.
Pour significant energy into your company’s branding. Only by getting this aspect of your operation right will you enjoy the benefits of gaining awareness for your business and products.
Photo Credit: Pexels
Author
Amy Collett
http://bizwell.org/
