Bill Kleist, Identity Creative
WHAT IS BRANDING AND DOES IT REALLY MATTER TO SMALL BUSINESSES?
In its simplest definition, “branding” is becoming the business that you want to become.
This means a business succeeds in creating a perception about its products or services through its message and the experience people have with that company. The goal is to build trust and loyalty. Based on this brand experience, the customer wants to buy from the company again and again.
People want to be part of what they feel good about. When it is time to choose a restaurant, law firm, hospital, plumber, watch, or car, some element of a particular seller’s brand influences the buyer’s decision. Customer loyalty is the result of successful branding.
Now more than ever small businesses need successful branding. Based on a set of objectives (or brand strategy) a company’s brand message is created. A company’s brand is earned. It is the collection of many experiences and associations and can take years to establish. It can also be destroyed in a day.
A company’s brand identity is created. The identity (logo) is the critical first visual impression, the frosting on the cake, the tip of the spear, the feel that people see. A vital step toward establishing your brand is first giving your business a professional brand identity. Properly and consistently implemented, the logo is the common thread, or anchor, that unifies all of a company’s visual marketing.
The identity is the face of a business. As stated, visual branding is when a company’s identity aligns with its brand objectives. Professional visual branding is the successful alignment of a company’s brand objectives with its desired graphic personality.
Brand Objective + Identity = Visual Brand
In this context, when I refer to a logo or a corporate or brand identity, I am referring to the visual brand of a business. A short-sighted approach is to get a logo fast & cheap. A long-term solution is a thoroughly researched and carefully designed name, logo and sub-line that reflects and directs the brand objectives of a business. Your logo is how people will identify and remember (or forget) your business.
Especially for smaller businesses, when done properly, a successful visual brand provides a remarkable advantage in the marketplace.
