While scrolling through your newsfeed, you will notice yourself being attracted to certain posts. Many of the companies you will recognize instantly, without even checking for the name. That’s branding done right.
Branding essentially means that your business can be recognized by its look, sound and feel. This includes fonts and colours, jingles and even the tone of writing.
The key in branding is finding your style and sticking with it. If you are the face of your brand and you are comfortable and confident to be featured on videos and photos, great. But remember, too much of a good thing, is too much of a good thing. Maybe mix it up a bit and introduce other elements into your social media presence.
With so much hinging on your online presence, which are the common mistakes to avoid?
1. Not getting the logo right.
Your logo will set the tone for the rest of your branding. Make it count.
2. Equating branding to a logo
The logo is important. Very important. It’s your starting point. But it doesn’t start and end with the logo.
3. Confusing marketing and branding
Branding is defining who or what your brand is – and marketing is making other people aware of it.
4. Skipping professional help
Just like you wouldn’t let a Grey’s Anatomy fan perform surgery on you, some things are best left to the professionals.
5. Lacking consistency across channels
Once you’ve got branding in place, you really need to ensure that it is represented across all the channels your business is present on, in print and digital.
6. Overly trend driven
While being on trend is great, forgetting your branding to fit in with what’s on trend right now will make your lose your uniqueness. That’s not to say that updating your image is bad. On the contrary, keep it fresh. But keep it YOU.
7. Collaborating with the wrong companies
The result can be baffling. Only associate your company with products that make sense.
Yoga mat + health snack = yes
Yoga mat + shoes = nope
8. Forgetting about copy
Branding is a very visual endeavour, but don’t make the mistake of forgetting about the text when you concentrate on graphic design. Even though copywriting may play a lesser role in your branding, it’s hugely important and worth examining professionally. Core messages, mission statements, tag lines, and content are all essential brand elements – and they all rest on the written word.
Granted, we have given you quite a lot to chew on, but don’t be put off. Getting your branding right is a crucial first step in succeeding in your business and therefore worth investing in.
Look at your brand with fresh eyes and see if you can improve. We all make mistakes, but we don’t need to let our mistakes define us.
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