Branding is more than just a logo. It encompasses everything that makes your business different and identifiable to your target market.
Why is building a brand so important? As consumers we trust people we know and are familiar with. Branding consistency helps to create this familiarity for your target market. It’s a way to build a reputation and strong online presence which will drive sales.
Here are some of the things to consider when building a brand:
– Logo
– Colour scheme
– Website layout
– Tone of voice across website copy
– Tone of blog posts
– Social media approach
– Your USPs and how you communicate them
Brand awareness and recognition
Recognition goes a long way in turning people into customers. Branding can help you become recognisable to your target market.
Ideally, you want to be one of the first companies a customer thinks of when they need your particular product or service. People will always prefer to buy from those they recognise or are familiar with.
Brand likability
A solid brand can help to make your company more likeable and identifiable when your company message is just what your target audience needs to hear.
Try to connect closely with your audience. In order to do this you must research your audience, find out what they want from brands like you and meet their needs when building your website, choosing visual branding elements and engaging over social media.
Professionalism
The most professional websites have clear branding with consistent attention to style and a solid brand mission. This makes your website look more professional immediately which helps to build authority and credibility for you in your industry.
Trust
Trust can be the very thing to drive sales when there’s so much competition out there for customers to choose from. That’s why reviews are so important because they help to build credibility and can be the deciding factor for those looking to purchase something.
Having a company brand which inspires trust will help to create new customers and maintain current ones. You can start to build trust by contributing something of value to your potential customers before they even buy from you. For example, sharing handy tips and advice on your blog and social media shows that you are experts in your industry.
Focus
The key to branding is consistency. Once a brand is established, having this consistency can help keep new marketing strategies and your company message focused and simple.
It definitely helps to have a branding guideline set out in writing that can be referred to whenever new opportunities or ideas arise. This helps your company stay on track and makes the most of your branding efforts.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself
Whether you’re a sole trader or have a limited company, don’t be afraid to inject personality into aspects of your brand. People respond best to social media posts and blogs that are very conversational, not filled with stuffy corporate speak that’s easily forgotten.
Trust, likability and recognition come from being able to identify with brands so make sure your company is out there engaging with your audience.
With so much competition online, building a solid brand is a great way to propel your business forward and give it focus. To drive traffic, engagement and sales, make sure your brand is built with customer needs and expectations in mind.
Just remember that the key to good branding is consistency, in focus, style and your overall company message.
If you found this useful you may also like our ‘Why your business needs SEO‘ resource.