Does My Company Need Better Branding?
A brand isn’t just a logo. It’s how your customers see you. Solid branding creates a lasting, memorable impression. It allows your audience to know what to expect from your company.
You can try to influence that perception through a combination of things, like:
- Your mission statement (why you exist).
- Your values (what your business stands for).
- Your voice in marketing content (How you sound to your customers).
- The channels where you share your content.
- Your target audience, ideal customer and audience personas.
- Positioning and value proposition
A solid brand communicates the essential factors that make your company unique. It’s an extension of business strategy with a specific focus on meeting business goals through building and maintaining a consistent brand.
As your business grows, an undocumented brand strategy – or a brand strategy that is never updated – can go awry. So what happens when your branding is inconsistent?
Your target audience doesn’t understand what you do. They don’t see the benefit of your product or solution for themselves. They lose their trust in you. They don’t do business with you.
That’s when you may have to consider investing in your company and your brand.
Benefits of a Consistent, Solid Brand
Branding has always been a vital part of business. According to a 2021 Razorfish study, 82% of surveyed consumers buy from brands that stand for a greater mission or purpose.
With all the competition out there, businesses need to go the extra mile of ensuring they stand out in a crowd. As a result,
- More people will recognize your business
- Branding will build trust
- Your advertising and marketing efforts will improve
- Branding will guide purchase decisions
- Your company will pull in more profits
- Your customer retention and loyalty will improve
TIP: Help your company’s brand with your very own personal brand. As an extension of your company, your audience will look to you as an even more authentic, trustworthy and reliable source of information outside of a faceless brand. Our founder Kelly Wagner shares how to build a personal brand, unscrambling the mystery of how to be seen and heard by your target audience so you can gain the traction you need to grow your business.
Signs Your Company Needs Better Branding
Your business’ brand exists in the eyes of your audience whether you’ve put thought and effort into it or not. If you’re not trying to influence your brand perception, then you no longer control your company’s brand. Your audience does. If this goes on long enough, you’ve got a problem, because your brand doesn’t align with what people want.
If you do have a documented brand strategy but you’re experiencing any of the following signs, you may need to revisit your brand strategy.
Sign #1: You don’t have a documented brand strategy
Sign #2: Your company vision has changed over time
Sign #3: Your business isn’t standing out amongst competitors
Sign #4: You’re attracting, or want to attract, a different audience
Sign #5: Your brand has lost focus over the years
TIP: It’s easy for a brand strategy to become a set-it-and-forget-it asset. Don’t wait for revenue issues to revisit and analyze your brand strategy. Whenever you update your business or marketing strategy, it’s always a good idea to take a look at your brand strategy to make sure they all align.
Do I Need a Brand Strategy, a Rebrand, or a Refresh?
You’re likely wondering what your next step is if:
- You’ve noticed brand inconsistencies
- You’re having trouble aligning your business strategy with your brand strategy
- You’re experiencing revenue issues that need troubleshooting at the brand level
There are typically three solutions depending on your current brand. If you have a solid strategy backed by accurate data, all you may need is help with aligning your brand strategy with your business strategy. Forecast Sunny will ensure this strategy is communicated and followed amongst your marketing and sales teams.
If you need help developing a brand strategy, or your strategy is outdated, your options are a rebrand or a refresh. Rebranding is when you completely change the look and feel of your identity. Refreshing is when you adjust certain elements of the existing design, or you introduce new elements to the existing design to further develop its identity.
When do you need a rebrand?
- You have to differentiate from the competition.
- Your brand is associated with being old and outdated.
- You’re expanding your products and services. Amazon started out as an online bookseller. Is that the first thing you think of when you see or hear “Amazon”? There’s a good reason the arrow connects the A and Z in their logo.
Rebrands often include an overhaul of your company’s image. It will touch on everything that your customer experiences when they encounter your brand, including:
- Your logo
- Your message
- The channels where they find you
A refresh isn’t quite as drastic. It’s not a transformation, but an update.
It involves strategic changes to your identity so you can meet marketplace trends. One example is the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise, which shortened its name to Dunkin’. The refresh works because:
- Customers already referred to the franchise giant as Dunkin’.
- The font and colors stayed the same (for a consistent, legacy experience).
If you feel your business is right on track, but its voice is outdated, you could just need a refresh. Think of it as modernizing your image while retaining your core identity.
When you work on a refresh with a digital marketing company like Forecast Sunny, you’ll focus on consistency across all your platforms. That will produce better messaging and continuity of experience for your customers.