In our experience, smaller companies tend to equate branding with large corporations and big expenditure. We aim to demystify the notion that branding has to be complicated or costly. Let’s review what branding is and its integral role in business.

What is branding?

Branding helps build trust. It’s how you present and promote your company (both tonally and visually) to both external and internal audiences and should be the embodiment of your unique goals and values. It shapes how best to communicate your current offer, and prepares you for future growth/evolution.

If you’re presenting your offer in any way, whether in person, via print or digital channels, you are already a brand. Everything you say and do relies on gaining trust and building your reputation, so that audiences put you front of mind when they think of your services.

Successful brands are not only recognisable, they are built on a robust infrastructure that sets them apart. In short, branding relies on the clarity and consistency of three factors:

1: Definition

Define your unique position in the marketplace
This is where positioning, proposition and messaging matter. They address the what we do, how we’re different and why choose us questions your external audiences are likely to ask. Internally you also establish your unique values to set the foundation for your communication strategy going forward. 

What this involves
Typically this might involve a brand audit; competitor research; a values and positioning workshop; help with writing creative briefs

Key takeaway

Clarifying your messaging is key before decisions are made about how your messaging will translate into words and images (your brand identity). 

2. Brand identity design

Create a tangible point of difference
This is where stand-out appeal comes into play. Audiences respond to messaging that’s credible and authentic; to human-centric stories that relate to hearts as well as minds. By presenting yourself professionally as well as demonstrating that you’ve invested in your company’s brand, you’re already ahead of competitors who may think that branding is just a logo, then rely on homogeneous, off-the shelf templates to communicate their offer.

What this involves
Typically this will involve creating a set of unique assets: your logo; colour palette; fonts; photography and/or illustration style and your company’s tone of voice to produce a brand identity toolkit.

Key takeaway

Imagine a brand toolkit exclusive to you that speaks specifically to the audiences you want to attract: A stance that immediately says “We care more... about quality, about values, about having a meaningful dialogue with our audiences…”.

3. Communications delivery

Communicate a cohesive and compelling offer
Here’s where you consider how best to put your brand into practice as part of a considered, and wholistic, marketing strategy. Your deliverables should align with the organisational goals set out at the definition stage. Your brand should support all deliverables by being be cross-media adaptable, and scalable.

What this involves
Typicallly this might involve producing a corporate suite; presentation templates; digital and print marketing communications (a website; social media; videos/animations; advertising; events collateral and environment graphics).

Key takeaway

Consider your main communications objective and what medium will help answer that first/best. Think about your audience and what they will respond to most initially, then how to engage them longer term as part of a strategy to build on trust, reputation and growth. 

Here’s a new  brand scenario
You’ve set up a company, you have a product, you’re ready to let people know what you do, why it matters and why they should choose you. Thinking of your company as a brand from the offset enables you to focus on a wholistic approach to communicating, and promoting your point of difference successfully. 

Here’s a rebrand scenario
Your existing brand feels tired, inconsistent and less effective than it once was: this might be due to your business evolving and out-growing what the original brand proposition was designed to achieve: The business may have entered new markets, introduced new services, changed its customer base or you recognise that your competitors’ brands have evolved and you need to keep ahead of the curve.

If you found this helpful then let’s have a chat.