Branding: how to define your business

Coca Cola, Apple, and Cadbury: what do all these brands have in common? These three companies are united by their consistent and effective use of branding – marketing themselves as unique and memorable. We all know their logos by heart, don’t we? Of course a lot of small businesses don’t have the funds to run a Coca Cola advertising campaign, but every company has the ability to perfect their brand identity early on, and to improve their company image.  Here are our Top Five Tips on how to make the most of your branding for business:

1) Re-define your brand

Start by refining what your business does and what you can offer your customers. Your brand identity needs to be able to represent your business while also connecting with your audience and helping you stand out from the crowd. Do your market research and establish your business goals and benefits. Look at your competitors – how can you be better?

2) Establish a brand voice

It often helps to think of your business as a person. When you do this, you can better answer your own questions: what are our brand values? Who do we connect with? What is our purpose? This is strengthened still by establishing a consistent and effective tone of voice for your brand. If you’re a corporate company, you might want to avoid exclamation marks and emojis on Facebook, but if you’re a creative brand you might want to banish too much seriousness and embrace GIFs. Your brand voice is up to you, but once you have one you are happy with, make sure it is consistent across all of your social media channels and physical marketing.

3) Keep your branding simple but effective

Your name and strapline need to be memorable, so the shorter they are the better. Keep your branding punchy, engaging and fresh. Once established, splatter your name and strapline across everything you do. Stick to colours and fonts that you feel represent the essence of your company, and aren’t overly distracting to the eye. Make it easy for your audience to identify you, and as a result you will become more memorable and easier to engage with.

By John Randall

4) Be adaptable

You should constantly be monitoring your brand identity, and seeing how it can be improved further. It’s very helpful to have a logo that is easily adaptable, meaning that it is easily transferable on print, (business cards, letters etc.) and online, (website, signature etc.). Make sure it is scalable too, so that even if the size is reduced, your logo is still clear.

5) Work with professionals

Your company image is so important for your business success, so don’t do anything by halves. You may think that logo you designed on Word looks super cool, but chances are, next to your competitor’s, it will look a bit pants. Get in contact with a good creative design agency who can help you with your logo, web and overall brand design. Although the initial charge of involving a third party may put you off, your return on investment as a result should convince you that it is worth the cost.

So there you have it, our top five tips on branding for your business. If you have any questions or are in need of some brand related help, please do feel free to get in touch, we’re more than happy to offer some free advice.