“Oh, I love your brand!”
…looking at just a logo
Branding is so much more than a pretty little visual you use to represent your business. It is an overall look, feel–vibe if you will–of all that makes you or your business, well, you. It isn’t just the product you sell, the colors you use, or even the type-face you used for your sign on the front of your brick and mortar.
So what is branding?
Branding can be broken down into three subsections.
Identity: This is, funny enough after my rant above, your logo, colors, typography, and visuals that make you recognizable.
Strategy: Just like the name suggests, this is how you enter into the market and communicate your value as compared to other businesses like you.
Experience: This can be the most difficult, in my opinion. The overall experience someone has with you or your business will determine if you grow or not. From interactions, the mood offered by your space, and the overall interaction someone has with you will ultimately determine their experience with you and this aspect of your overall brand.
I want my brand to shine!
Good branding is ever evolving. Not all parts of the branding process, but at least strategy and experience have to be flexible. I do not recommend, personally or professionally, that you ever lose your identity. Ha, see what I did there…
You want customers to continually come into your business, smile, carry on conversations, and feel at ease. Like an episode of Cheer’s. Going beyond just a logo or a bold painted colored wall and reaching the emotions and gut feeling of your customers offers an experience for them that will keep them coming back for more of that vibe you are emitting.
So now what?
Now is the fun part. Let’s discover who you are, who your business is, and where you are in comparison to your niche market. Dive into the Branding world and take the visual aspects, the strategic plans, and the overall experience and deliver what you have to offer. Even if you have a competitive market, there is no one like you.