Following last month’s theme of ‘Why brand consistency is the key to business growth’, I thought I would delve further into why branding is crucial to business success. In this blog, I will give you my list of dos and don’ts of successful branding.
You can compare your brand to the list to discover what you are doing right and where you can improve to take your business to the next level!
Branding can make or break a business.
There, I have said it!
Branding is so much more than a logo, colour scheme or tone of voice.
It comprises the promises your business makes to its customers and their perceptions and experiences in doing business with you.
If it is done properly, branding can create business resilience and growth along with a loyal customer base, who will buy from you repeatedly.
If you want to talk to an expert about the dos and don’ts of successful branding for your business why not book a brew with me, Clare, and together we can create a strategy that will take your business to the next level.
List of Dos for successful branding
1 Brand Purpose
Most of my clients can explain what their businesses do but often struggle to define their ‘why.’
Clue – ‘making money’ is not your brand purpose!
Brand purpose is the ‘why’ behind everything your business does.
It acts as a guiding light, providing direction and focus for decision-making, marketing, customer interactions, product development and company culture.
When you are clear about your ‘why,’ it becomes easier to make decisions that feel right for your business, your employees, and your customers.
Prompts for creating a brand purpose statement:
- What do products/services does your business provide?
- Who are you selling to – your target audience
- What problem are you solving for them?
- What are your business values or beliefs?
- What impact do you want your business to have? This could be on your customers, community, or even the world!
There are many well-known companies who have a clear brand purpose, but one that stands out for me is Patagonia.
Their focus on sustainability, from products through to business practices, is driven by their brand purpose to “save our home planet.”
2 Brand identity
In April’s blog, ‘How to create a standout brand identity’, I explained the benefits of creating a clear brand identity, its components, and why it is important.
I provided you with four steps to creating a brand identity that your target audience will remember.
Once you have created a brand identity, it is important to document it in a brand guide, which will set the standard for logos, imagery, colours, tone of voice and typography for cohesive visuals and messaging across all touchpoints.
Free stuff!
If you are still uncertain how to begin creating a brand identity, why not download my FREE Branding Checklist, or book a brew today and let’s get started!
3 Understand your audience
You need to know who you are talking to! Messaging becomes ineffective or even irrelevant if it is aimed at the wrong audience.
Here is why you need to understand your target audience:
Communication style – audience responses differ according to the style of communication
Visual identity – should resonate with your audience
Evoke emotions – the audience should identify with your brand
Brand positioning – speak directly to their problems, values, and needs
Use market research and digital tools to gather insights into audience demographics, behaviour, likes/dislikes, problems, and values so you can tailor your branding strategy for better engagement and sales growth.
4 Authenticity is better than perfection
You heard it here first – being perfect is not always good!
However, being authentic builds trust and creates that emotional connection with your audience.
Moreover, customers can sense when brands are faking it, so avoid it at all costs!
Honesty and transparency will differentiate you from competitors because your business is unique.
You don’t want to blend in and be just one in a crowd.
Your brand needs to stand out to become memorable, so make the most of your brand story and values.
Authenticity is the truth behind your brand.
Customers will respond with trust, loyalty, interaction, and repeat purchases.
5 The evolution of your brand
Remember brands don’t stand still, nor does the market.
Constant testing, evaluating, and tweaking is required to make sure that your brand remains relevant to your audience.
Core values and brand purpose should remain constant, but brand elements can be revised and updated as and when required.
(Read my blog detailing the key elements of brand identity.)
List of Don’ts for successful branding
1 Keep it simple
Don’t overcomplicate things.
Customers become confused if you try to say too many things, or over elaborate.
Think about Nike’s ‘Just do it’ – an example of keeping it simple and succinct.
Your brand should be easy to remember.
Name; logo; tagline and main messages should spark immediate recognition.
Make it easy for customers to recognise!
2 Avoid blending in!
Don’t copy competitors.
Copying others can result in diluting brand identity and losing the recognition and trust of your target audience.
Accentuate your uniqueness to stand out from the crowd.
Yes, you need to know what competitors are doing.
What has worked well for them and what hasn’t.
But plough your own furrow to avoid being lost in the noise!
3 What’s the story?
It is important to remember that people connect with stories.
Yes, you are there to sell your products/services but don’t just sell their features.
Focus on the emotional value or benefits your brand delivers, or the problem your products/services solve.
4 Steady and slow
Don’t rush it.
Rushing to fit branding into a timeframe can lead to oversights and result in ineffective visuals/messages and inconsistency.
In addition, it can result in an expensive rebrand.
Be patient!
Invest time and resources into doing branding properly.
The more time you spend on getting it right, the more you can drill down into the essence of your brand, clarifying brand purpose, brand values and mission.
5 Bring your team with you
Don’t forget about the rest of your team.
Branding isn’t just for the marketing department.
Your brand story and values come from within.
Remember that your team is the essence of your brand in every customer interaction, so it is important that they identify with and embody brand values.
Moreover, if your employees believe in the brand purpose, mission, and values, they become more engaged and motivated, with higher levels of employee satisfaction and better retention rates.
And finally, in my list ofdos and don’ts of successful branding, don’t make false promises!
Falling short of customer expectations will damage your brand reputation, so give your customers more than they expect from their customer experience.
Successful brands are authentic, intentional and audience driven.
A strong brand isn’t built overnight, but my list of the dos and don’ts of successful branding will help you to avoid common mistakes, setting you up for success by focusing on best practices for effective branding.
If you need expert guidance to refine your branding or to go through how the dos and don’ts of successful branding apply to your company, the Make a Brew team is here to help you.
Let’s connect over a brew and craft a strategy that’s uniquely yours!
