When I talk about strategy, I typically don’t focus on the visual aspects of a business. And for the most part, what we visually see in business doesn’t have much to do with strategy.
But branding (or rebranding) your business with your overall business strategy in mind should be done with intention. It can (and often does) have an effect on your business strategy. Your branding can be sabotaging your business if it’s not connected to your business strategy.
How to Approach Branding
Whether you DIY it or working with a brand specialist, you should have a brand that is going to attract the right people, elicit an emotional response, and ultimately inspire action. You want people to click a link, like a photo, or reply to an email. Approach branding with the same mindset as your overall business strategy by asking yourself questions like:
- Who are you targeting?
- What’s your ideal client look like?
- What are their interests?
- What type of activities do they do on the weekend?
- How much money do they have?
A good brand strategist will work in color theory and design that ultimately targets who you want to reach.
What Makes Good Branding
Branding is more than just a logo. While a logo is the most visible part of our brand, it isn’t our whole brand. Branding is your logo design, sub-marks (those are alternative logos), colors, typography, and the way these elements fit together. If you’re working with a strategist, you should get a brand style guide that walks you through the dos
and don’ts of how and when to use your logos, colors, and typography. Good branding oftentimes will invoke emotion and speaks directly to your ideal client.
How Does Branding Fit Into Strategy?
Visual branding helps to build the feeling and the vibe of your brand. It creates connections between people. My own branding is meant to create a feeling of confidence and authority while still being relatable and attainable. Because that’s how I want my clients to feel. When we can create emotions in potential clients through the visual aspects of our brand, it is more likely to build that “like, know, trust” factor. As you start to build that trust with your audience, they’ll be more likely to look to you when they need your services. Your branding should be reflective of how you want your business to make potential clients feel. Own a spa? Your branding should make potential clients feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Your colors and imagery should play into those feelings.
Perception & Positioning
Branding also plays into perception and positioning. The way a person perceives your brand makes a very big difference. Branding can position your brand in the marketplace and affects the way that people perceive it. You can look at two different brands and depending on the colors used, the logo, and the imagery, you would probably have a very good idea of where they are positioned in the market without ever having to see their websites. It’s very important that you tie your marketing and pricing strategy with the perception and positioning of your brand design.
Consistency of Design
Your brand design can also keep you consistent which helps when it comes to meeting those marketing goals. When you create brand visuals with intention rather than simply following trends or basing it purely on your personal tastes, you’ll create a brand that has more staying power. It’s hard to stick with consistent branding based on trends or personal tastes because those things change. But if you are basing it on what your business goals are and what you want your business to achieve, you’ll be able to create that consistency that you need.
Recognizable Identity
Lastly, good branding builds a memorable and recognizable identity. This is especially important on social media in order for people to recognize your brand quickly, and associate colors and visuals with you specifically. When you have consistent brand imagery and brand visuals that are tied to the goals of your business, who you are targeting, and who you are trying to reach, it creates a more memorable and recognizable identity. People will be more readily able to see what your brand is when it pops up on their feed or when you’re in their inbox. And that helps create trust and trust is ultimately what’s going to have people spend money on your business.
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