Branding: can it really add to your bottom line?
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When you think of branding, do you think of someone sat in a design studio churning out pretty logos? Or do you think of ad agency types, sat around in black suits and black rimmed glasses talking earnestly about 'brand onions'? To be honest, neither picture is completely fair, or completely accurate.
Branding is all about creating an image, an understanding and an experience between you and your customers that sends out the right message about your business.
Get it right, and you will make your business more successful. Get it wrong and at best you'll confuse your customers, and at worst you'll seriously damage your business.
Branding is intrinsically linked with marketing. Your brand will support your marketing activities and make them stronger (assuming, that is, that your marketing is consistent – top end brochures one month and a homemade leaflet the next month will muddy your brand). Likewise, your marketing activities should support your branding.
It's easy to think of branding as something wooly that you just don't need to concern yourself with right now. After all, there's business to be won. There's no point in wasting time prettifying your logo. I'd disagree (but then you knew I would!).
Your logo is just a part of your business brand (it's a pretty important one at that), but your brand goes much deeper. If you can create a strong brand strategy – position yourself so that you're invaluable to your customers and well differentiated from your competitors then your brand will add to your bottom line. Don't believe me? Find out how focusing on my own brand strategy increased my profit by 250%!
