A company’s brand is a combination of its name, logo, style and interactions with the public. This includes everything from face-to-face interactions, to advertisements to social media posts and more. Defining your company’s unique brand is essential to developing your presence in the market. Your brand separates you from your competitor who offers similar services, and helps your prospects and customers identify with you. Branding must be done carefully, however, as it is easy to make a mistake that’ll drive customers away. Avoid these four blunders to create a popular, likeable and well-respected brand.
1. Lack of Vision
Begin with a vision for your business if you don’t have one already. It is in your vision that you’ll decide how you want your customers to think of you. Whether you stand for something or stand against something let your customers know what that is so they can connect with you. Without a vision, your business will be forgettable and blend in with the competition. Consider what your target audience values and what your company values to form the vision for your company.
2. Poor Company Name and Logo
Your name and logo are two of the most important parts of your company’s identity. Nothing is more recognizable for your company than its name and its logo. The name and logo appear everywhere, so you want to make sure you have a good name that resonates with your audience and connects with your vision. When choosing a name, think about how easy it is to spell, write and remember. Taking these three factors into account will help you avoid making a big mistake that’ll be hard to fix. Same with your logo—develop a logo design that reflects your company and will be easily recognizable.
3. Not Meeting Promises
As a business, you have something to offer your customers. As you establish your brand, they’ll expect you to follow through with that offer. In other words, you make a promise to them and they expect you to fulfill that promise. Brands are built by their ability to follow through on their promises. Today, customer reviews and recommendations help build your brand more than ever. Happy customers share their good experiences with businesses—and so do unhappy ones. Make good on your promises, or you’ll be plagued with unhappy customers who’ll let the world know how they feel.
4. Inconsistent Social Media Presence
Today, social media allows you to connect your brand with your customers across a variety of platforms. This is a wonderful opportunity, but also a tricky one. Your brand should be communicating a consistent message across every channel, while still adapting to the audience who’ll visit each one. Make sure you’re using each network for its specific purpose, while still maintaining your brand consistently. Seeing different themes across each network would be incredibly confusing. Use your style guide, graphics and any other visual elements that your customers associate with your brand. Coca-Cola does a fantastic job keeping their classic brand consistent online. The company focuses on the emotional connections people have to Coke, and uses this theme on every platform in a unique way to meet the audiences of the networks.
A brand is what helps a company form a connection with customers. Between the visual elements and emotional ties, branding is crucial to the success or failure of a company. Make sure your brand is recognizable, consistent and organized. Take these four tips into consideration to avoid making any dangerous branding blunders for your company.