Your brand is what makes your business stand out from the crowd – or not. Since we are a graphic design company, here in the lovely Northern Beaches of Sydney, we are often asked by clients – just what is brand design and why do I need it?
Well branding or brand design is an umbrella term for a suite of marketing tools that present your business to the world. Branding includes your business name, your logo design, slogan, web presence, mission statement and your products or services.
It is how your company or business interacts with your customers via the internet, TV or magazines, newspaper advertisements, flyers, newsletters, even your customer service is part of your branding. You could even say that branding is a feeling a person has when they think of your business.
So what is branding all about? Well a successful branding campaign has three goals:
Why is your business different to your competitors? Why should people buy your products or services? What is your message – what do you stand for?
People need to have instant recognition when they see your logo. You need to build your brand so that it reflects the image that you want your business to portray to customers. This message must be clear and it must be consistent. An inspired brand design will send a clear message to your customers.
For you to create a unique logo which differentiates your business from all the rest – the graphic design needs to be top-notch. People need to instantly recognise your logo and your products or services. Think Pepsi, Adidas, Google, Apple or Microsoft – they each have a unique and instantly recognisable logo design.
Your business branding and the image that you portray to your customers builds your reputation. And your reputation is the key to your success and your survival. Customers need to feel that they can trust your business and have confidence in your products or services.
Reputations can be made and lost fast. You might not like social media or understand it but the increased usage of Facebook and Twitter means that good or bad opinions or experiences can go viral!
Your reputation is built on trust and on your business ethics, on how focussed your business is on the customers needs and whether you have high quality products or services. Did you know that your reputation can be worth up to 5% of your annual sales? Branding helps build and maintain your reputation.
Customer sales are based on a host of different elements – all of which must be in place for your business to be successful. In today’s world you must have an online presence – with content that is relevant to your business.
Have you thought about writing a blog or news page? These are great ways to interact with your customers and educate them on why they should buy your products or use your services.
Here are a few other ways to increase your customer base and your ROI – make sure your business has the following:
For more information on how graphic design can jump start your business or just to enquire about logo design contact us at our Northern Beaches studio in Sydney.
