Branding is one of the key underlying concepts behind the success of many businesses both large and small. You know a certain well-known soda pop by its distinctive red color, because of the tagline “It’s the real thing,” and behind the old-fashioned Santa they have used on many marketing pieces for dozens of years. This is that soda pop’s branding. Let’s look at what you ought to consider for your own branding and then to decide whether you’re using your branding in enough places.
The Key Elements Behind Great Branding
Branding is a strategy that can give you an edge in these highly competitive times. Your brand tells people who you are, what you do, how you do it, and what concepts drives your business. Think of Nike’s simple swish logo and the words “Just do it!” Your brand, like theirs, is a promise to your customer about what they can expect from you, so it’s important you touch on the key elements when you create your brand.
1. Have you developed a Mission Statement for your company? It can really stretch you out and refine your concepts down to get your grandiose plans and schemes into one paragraph. Unless you can communicate these concepts to your graphic designer, she cannot create an appearance for them.
2. Can you succinctly describe the features and benefits your clients will be receiving from your products and services? Again, a designer cannot create some graphical element about these benefits unless you can articulate them.
3. Have you surveyed your many (or few) clients to get their appraisal of your products and services? They can provide many keen insights into what your company is making or doing, and they can provide many things they wish you would do that would serve them better more specifically. Then, these additional benefits can be explained to your graphic designer to be incorporated into your brand.
4. Have you decided which one or two qualities your company will stand for? Is it fast service? Is it going beyond what is expected? Is it integrity? What is it? don’t you want your branding to represent this? Wouldn’t you like all of your clients to know this about you via your branding?
Where To Use Your Branding.
Once your graphic designer creates a branding look for you, and once you begin to use the branding in many of your marketing pieces, let’s look at some examples of where this branding can then be used.
1. Is your logo just everywhere? Is it on your website, your business cards, your brochures, your PowerPoint template, your newsletter, your employment ads? Is it on the license plate holders of all your employees? Is it on the van your folks use for car pooling? Is there a flag in front of your locations with your logo on it? Do you have a ring made from it? A lapel pin? Name tags for your employees? Wouldn’t it be an interesting project for your Marketing Manager to stroll through your facility and discover places where your logo could be instituted?
