Branding is not a new concept. If you own a business, and have a business name, label, and are actively networking or promoting in any way, you're branding even if you don't know it. When we think about branding we typically think logos but I'm here to tell you that branding isn't just your logo. The aim of branding is to shape how your audience views your company or product through its image and its core purpose. Ultimately branding should create an emotional response as it's a lot of things all wrapped up into one. It's your story, your target audience, your brand personality, the advantages of doing business with you and so much more.
If we google what branding is there's tons of definitions. But my favourite is a quote by Seth Godin who I dub as the godfather of marketing. He describes a brand as "the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumers decision to choose one product or service over another" . Branding is what makes your business memorable and I can't say that enough. Businesses that don't invest in branding often fail because they haven't taken the time to create a brand that connects with their audience. We live in a society where people buy from people and if your business isn't doing that then your missing out on a lot of leads.
Branding is all about creating something that your customer will buy into, follow, fall in love with and cherish. Something that they will share with friends and family and become a huge advocate for. That's what you want! especially in the health, well-being and education sectors where the information you share is important and needs to be out there. Now you're probably wondering what does branding really mean for small businesses. Well there are few ways branding can postivitly impact your business:
Stand out from the crowd: We see on average 4000 - 10,000 ads a day, which is a lot! so you can imagine If you don't have branding or your branding is generic and doesn't align with your purpose, vision, mission, and values, your customer isn't going to notice you. It doesn't matter how amazing your product or service is you're going to get lost. But with a little help from me, you can stop your client from scrolling on by.
Brand recognition: Consumers need to see something 7 times before we'll buy it. And the more your customers see your branding the more likely they are to remember you and purchase your product or service. Not only does having branding create awareness of your business it also helps to create a connection with your audience making them more likely to turn into lifetime buyers because they know and trust you.
Sparks a connection: People like to buy from people they know. Branding does this by creating a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints which creates a connection with them. They become familiar with who you are and what you stand for. They become familiar with your products or services and a relationship is formed.
As I said earlier, Branding is your story, your target audience, your brand personality, the advantages of doing business with you and so much more. To me Branding is like a burger, every burger (brand) has essentially the same ingredients however it comes down to the type of ingredients used within the burger that makes it stand out. You could have 3 companies that have the same services, but it's how you build your brand that will make a difference.
Let's break it down!
Meat/ patty - Brand Core
The meat or patty of a burger is the brand core and is essential to creating the perfect brand. Without a brand core, your branding is just a bunch of pretty graphics that don't have much of a purpose. And just like the patty in a burger, it comes in all shapes, sizes and flavours depending on your audience.
Cheese - Elements
The cheese is the elements of your brand so your brand voice, personality, identity, values, and positioning. It's what makes you unique.
Lettuce - Colour Scheme
Than we have the lettuce which represents your colour palette. it can be crisp and fresh, exotic and colourful etc.
Tomatoes - Brand Graphic
Tomatoes on the brand burger represent your brand graphics, images, and illustrations anything that helps to visually communicate your brand core and personality.
Sauce - Logo
The second last ingredient in the brand burger is the sauce which is your logo. It's the last element of your brand and it brings all the ingredients together to create the perfect brand.
Buns - Marketing
Once you have all those ingredients you put them between the buns which is marketing. Because each touchpoint that you customer interacts with must have your branding. And just like a burger, marketing is how your customers consume your brand, product or service. So you better make that brand burger tasty!