Branding is undoubtedly one of the most critical parts of a business and one where the depth of its value is commonly overlooked. When it is implemented to its full extent, a complete and united brand strategy will reinforce a company’s vision and direction.

A business that exhibits a strong and recognisable brand in every aspect will not create customers; it will create loyal brand ambassadors that perceive you in the way you that you intended the branding to convey. If the world of branding seems like a creative minefield to you, fear not we have put together 3 areas that could get you started.

Know Your Audience

If it was a gap in the market that sparked the initial idea for your offering, then there is a strong chance that you know who your target audience already are. The way that you carry out your market research should be strongly influenced by the nature of the business. For instance, if you have a physical store then customer demographics coupled with past purchase data will give you an insight into your audience and how to tailor your brand to truly engage with them.

If you are working within the realms of digital it is not uncommon to carry out audience insights studies on your competitors, or create audience profiles using basic knowledge. The audience personas can then be mapped against social media profiles to provide you with a more comprehensive view.

Richard LeCount from USB Makers offers his experiences, “We specialise in branded gadgets and have come to notice trends within industry sectors, and also when the trends are changing and businesses follow these to remain engaged with their customers. 2 evolutions that we have noticed more than others is the increase in brands shifting to blues and greens as the world becomes more eco conscious and the simplification of logos; brands are moving away from busy and dated images to ones with cleaner lines, less imagery and a  focus font and colour to convey the message”

Be Consistent

Build brand equity through consistent branding, mixed messages will only serve to confuse your audience. Applying consistency to your brandings will result in your message being seen repeatedly – making you memorable.  Put the everlasting digital vs traditional dispute to one side and understand that everything within the business should interconnect through its branding.

Going beyond the one dimensional visual entity, your brand should reflect the businesses vision and core values. The way that Midas turned everything he touched to gold, everything you touch should represent your brand; the language used in verbal and written communication, social media communication, employee attitude, company strategies and policies. It should all be easily recognisable as belonging to YOUR brand.

Buy Into Your Logo

Even though branding is much more than your logo, it’s often a good place to start. A visual representation of your brand, the ability that a logo has to provoke an emotional response from your audience is often undervalued.

The components of a logo, including the shape, colour and font have all been painstakingly chosen with the desired consumer perception in mind.

Designer and Digital Illustrator, Lee Mason explains further – “There are obvious correlations between sectors and brand decisions. A company specialising in ethically sourced products won’t be using bright reds and yellows on their packaging, perhaps more likely to use recycled paper and earthly tones, whereas a company selling budget products to people with lower incomes who perhaps aren’t as interested in where the ingredients are sourced might specifically go for red (it evokes sale, budget, tabloid) when developing their brand. If you were selling colouring books, you’d use bright colours in your logo (making sure it still works in mono ideally), but if you’re branding a high end restaurant, the last thing you’d want to use is primary colours, probably opting for a classic black icon and a traditional font.”

I suggest that the ideal place to start would be to decide on the message that you wish to convey to your target audience. What do you want to be known for and do you intend to be perceived? When you have the answers to these questions, you are able to embark on the branding journey that can enable you to broadcast your vision and message.