What the heck does 'branding' actually mean?
Just the word 'brand' or 'branding' can bring up a lot of questions. Well, have no fear, we're here to help break down the basics. Welcome to Branding 101! Please take your seats and take out your number 2 pencils.
(We promise to keep this short and to the point. No long, boring lectures.)
What Is Branding?
To get actual definitions out of the way, a brand is a name, slogan, design, experience and any other feature that distinctly identifies one business from another.
To go one step deeper. Branding is the process of giving meaning to a specific business, products or services by creating the identity, visual language, or system that customers associate with your business or organization.
"Branding" can seem like a jargon-y term, but what it really boils down to is the elements that distinguish your organization from another.
Why Is Branding Important?
There are a whole bunch of reasons branding is important, but here are some major ones.
Establishing your brand helps build a language of sorts that is recognizable to customers through visual cues. These cues create your business' identity and as a result build awareness and get your business known.
Having consistent brand elements across all your customer touch points shows that your business has a level of professionalism and stability. Showing up consistently also builds trust with your consumers by continually showing them what they can expect.
Branding brings clarity on who the business is and what it stands for. With this baseline set, employees (and owners too!) can more easily make decisions if a clear vision for the company has been established. This can help with anything from what type of language to used in a social post up to decisions around new business opportunities.
People share brands they love (that funny commercial or the case a company supports, etc.) People love to support and share when they've had a good experience and believe in what you're doing. So give them a brand that's worth sharing!
Additionally, branding differentiate your business from competitors, helps tell your business' story, and allows your business to connect with your audience. Branding also energizes your staff and fuels your advertising/marketing efforts.
Bottom line: Branding is very important for your business.
Next Steps: Take The Lead
With all that said, the thing we encourage you to do is take control of the narrative. Create and implement a consistent brand that reflects and represents your unique business and its offering. Doing so will show customers exactly who you are and will help you attract your ideal customers in the process.
If you want more tactical information on how to create that just-right brand check out our blog for more educational resources or our work page for tons of brand examples and insight into the journey we took to get businesses a brand that's perfectly suited for what they offer.
