Having strong business branding is important for growth and success. In this helpful guide, we’ll show you what good looks like and how to get it right first time.
First off, what is business branding?
Used consistently across websites, social media, marketing materials, uniform, and premises, business branding should convey the personality of a business to attract the exact target audience you want as your customer base.
Why is business branding important?
Business branding identifies one business from another. Much more than just colours and logos, it has to communicate to the target audience, set you apart from competitors, and give customers a reason to recognise, and more importantly, remember you.
Good branding should spark emotions, provide experiences, and in the long-term, it should create expectations. People stay loyal to brands because they know they can trust them and that they provide exactly what they need.
In-depth market research is needed to create an effective brand. Going past the colours, font, and graphics, branding has to transfer into all elements of a business, including customer service style. There is no point in having a fun, edgy brand for your customers to be met with very formal staff when they get in touch with your company.
Ultimately, great branding can be the rise or fall of a business. Get it wrong and you won’t reach potential; get it right and it will facilitate and maximise on growth.
Need help with your business branding? Speak to an expert today on 0115 9061315 or send us a message
10 tips for creating great business branding
Stand out to succeed – be bold, unique, and different. Create something eye-catching that won’t disappear into the background.
Create an iconic logo – ensure your logo is bold and strong. Can it be reduced to a simple symbol for quick recognition when needed, on social media for example?
Make the name unforgettable – a business name is sometimes connected with the subject, but always short, easy-to-say, thought-provoking, and memorable.
Write compelling messages – give your audience interesting, compelling, and encapsulating messages that will be remembered and prompt them to take action.
Make your promise loud and clear – be crystal-clear about what do you do, why you do it, and what problem you solve. Then tell customers what they need to do: buy, join, click, share.
Understand where your brand lives – where are your customers? Online, social media, at events, responsive to direct mail? By understanding this, you can create a brand with a true identity that gets in front of your target audience.
Base your brand on truth – be authentic. Understand your company culture, values, and personality, and ensure your brand communicates this.
Be yourself – don’t mimic competitors. Stand out as a different, better solution to your customers’ needs.
Be consistent – consistency is key when you want people to identify and trust your brand.
Track your brand’s success – monitor engagement. Does one colour option work better than another? Does changing the size of certain elements make a difference? Expect different results for different platforms.
How to get started reviewing or creating a business brand
Whoever I work with, I get them to start with five simple exercises that are always a winner. When working on business branding, they help cut through the rubbish and help you understand who a company really is in a short time.
Ask, what’s your desired positioning?
This is a great one. I first like to understand how a company wants and thinks they are perceived. Ask as many people in your organisation the following question: “If I asked a customer what they thought of our brand, what would you want them to say?” Think about it. Interesting, isn’t it? Gather all of the answers and look for trends and highlights. I love this one, because it’s amazing how insightful the answers can be. Really great insights in just a sentence or two.
Interview the senior leadership team
Interview the senior leadership team, directors, and key staff to find out where the company is going, what the future looks like, and what needs to change. Then you can design a brand around this desired future. After all, belief is the first step to achieving.
Carry out a personas review
Personas are an effective tool to help understand the profile, motivations, and needs of a company’s customers and ideal prospects. By developing concise personas, it will help shape our marketing, messages, website, content, products, and processes. Personas should be aspirational, focusing on the most desirable customers.
With personas, organisations can be more strategic in catering to each major audience. They can internalise the customer who they are trying to attract, and relate to them better as human beings.
Do the words test
At our agency, we have a range of special card decks for this, but you can do it with a simple pen and paper (or online form). Ask people across your organisation to complete a simple task: to describe the company in three to five words. Again, it’s amazing what you get to learn, and it really focuses the mind so the results cut right through. This is an insight into the true essence of a business brand. Capture the answers and use them as a starting point for your marketing or sales narrative.
Review your main competitors
Review the websites and any other marketing of your main competitors. Make a note of the following and decide how your website and marketing material needs to adapt to stand out:
Their main headlines (main promises) – what are they promising their customers, and how does that differ to yours?
The colours they use – are there any trends? Where can you be unique? Colour is very important in branding.
The logo and any motifs or emblems.
The style of the brand as a whole – is it relaxed, formal, bright, exciting, serious?
The types of imagery used – is it photographic, serious, illustrated?
Their USPs – warranty, money-back, 100 years in business, award-winning products, 5-star service etc. How do you measure up, and how can you offer something better?
Need help with your business branding?
If you’re not sure where to start, we can help. Speak to an expert today on +44 (0)115 857 7571, or drop us a message – we’re always happy to chat.
A specialist brand agency
An award-winning branding agency, Threerooms has spent over 15 years making brands stronger and businesses more successful. Whether modernising brands with meaning or crafting effective marketing campaigns, our amazing team is focused on delivering brand transformation while providing exceptional customer service.
