Marketing starts with a solid brand — and a strategy to match.
Brand development is more than just picking nice colors, or putting words on paper and then adding your logo in for good measure. To create a look that makes your company instantly recognizable, grabs potential clients’ attention and really brings in business, you need the right visuals paired with compelling copy, communicated in a way that appeals to customers.
And doing all that for your own company is easier said than done.
A branding agency can help you objectively assess who you are as a company, pin down your story and communicate all you offer in way that hits home for your target audience. It’s all about working together to develop a branding strategy that gets your company noticed and generates leads that keep business growing.
What’s involved in creating a successful branding strategy?
Creating a brand identity for your own company can be incredibly difficult since you’re so close to the subject matter — and probably emotionally invested. We recommend bringing on a professional branding agency to help guide you through the process. Here’s what it looks like:
Getting to know you. We’ll will dig into everything from your company’s backstory to successes (and missed opportunities), future goals and existing marketing efforts. Expect lots of questions at this stage.
Understanding the industry. Every line of work has its nuances, and as your branding agency, we want to know them. We’ll research current trends, factors affecting business and even what your competition is (and isn’t) doing, all to gauge the best way to reach your target audience.
Creative development. Armed with that newfound knowledge, your creative team will develop a core message that resonates with your ideal client and gets to the heart of what drives your company. This is where the magic happens, and where your story and look fall into place. Expect a lot of collaboration as we work together to determine the best path forward.
The big reveal. Rolling out a new look and brand messaging can be equal parts thrilling and terrifying. At the start, it’s all about letting existing clients know you’re the company they know and trust, just with a spiffy new look — and introducing yourself to a brand-new audience that might not have known about you before.
Picking up steam. It takes time for a brand to take hold. In the weeks and months following your rollout, we’ll help you remain top of mind through branded marketing materials that make sense for your company — for instance, an updated website, regular emails, social media posts, ads and more.
How long does a brand identity last?
A solid branding campaign should last at least three to five years. It takes time for current and potential customers to truly take note of a brand, but once they do, you want to make sure you get as much as possible out of that branding strategy. That includes certain factors your company and your branding agency should consider when developing your brand.
For the long haul. Few things are as frustrating and potentially damaging for a company as launching a branding campaign and immediately running out of options. When that happens, companies either repeatedly use the same elements or drop the campaign altogether (which defeats the purpose). Make sure whatever elements make up your look and messaging provide enough fodder for you to work with.
Too trendy. Trends come and go pretty quickly these days. Incorporating the season’s “hot” color combo, popular slang or viral videos into your brand can make your company appear outdated and out of touch once those things fall out of fashion. (Remember, friends — longevity!)
That looks familiar. A brand that looks too much like the competition can be worse than having no brand at all. Not only can it create confusion for customers but, under certain circumstances, it can result in costly cease-and-desist orders that throw all your hard work out the window. No other company is exactly like yours — and its branding shouldn’t be, either.
How does brand management protect my investment?
Your identity in the market is only as strong as the effort behind it. From development to delivery, it must be both built and broadcast. That’s where brand management comes in — ensuring consistency and visibility, so your business stands out to the right audience at the right time.
Still not convinced? Here’s a quick rundown of some of the top reasons your business needs brand management services:
Improve brand perception and first impressions. Your website. Your product packaging. Your business card. Those are all branding assets that become the first contact for a potential client. And if you want that first impression to be a long, lasting impression, then you better have your brand accounted for and showing off its best stuff. One poorly designed off-brand piece could cause confusion, leaving all that great brand equity on the line.
Increase customer loyalty. You’ve heard lobsters mate for life, right? Well same can be said for customers and a brand. They found it. They love it. And typically, they don’t change. That’s customer loyalty right there. And your brand and the brand management needed to stay relevant to a client makes it easier for them to find you, use you and keep working with you.
Never lose customer impact. You can’t expect customers to know your new brand right out the gate. It takes a strong dose of integrated marketing to develop, distribute and sustain a brand so that over time current and new customers come to know you and your brand. Brand management maintains and engages your company’s brand so it’s always there, always consistent and always top of mind.
More flexibility and scalability. Just like you may scale the growth of your company based on revenue, customer demand and resources, you’ll want to do the same for your brand. If you’re thoughtfully managing your branding and marketing by keeping an eye on the market, your industry and trends, you can adapt and stay ahead. Nothing is worse than a stale brand that doesn’t continue to appeal to customers or address their needs.
Brand management stats.
A lot of thought, research and oftentimes, good old common sense, go in to making a brand resonate with customers. That same effort should go into maintaining it, too.
increase
recognition
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to buy fromtrusted brands
Brand Consistency
- A consistent presentation of a brand has been seen to increase revenue by 23%1
Brand Recognition
- Color improves brand recognition by up to 80%2
- Consistently presented brands are 3.5x more likely to enjoy excellent brand visibility than those with an inconsistent brand presentation2
Brand Equity
- 59% of shoppers prefer to buy new products from the brands they trust3
- The Impact of Brand Consistency Benchmark Report, Demand Metric
- 50+ Eye-Opening Branding Statistics, Small Biz Genius
- How Branding Influences Purchase Decisions – Infographic, Invesp