Branding is an integral part of any business, but it’s something that many startups overlook or give little thought to. But not making the look of your company a priority can be damaging to your business. Branding can help you stand apart from your competitors, while also attracting new customers. It creates a more professional and cohesive feel that can be used on elements such as your business cards and website. If you’ve never done branding of any kind before, you might feel overwhelmed by this task. But thankfully good branding is not as difficult or expensive to achieve than you probably think.
Here are some common branding mistakes you should avoid to create the strongest outcome possible:
Making the brand too complicated.
All entrepreneurs want their branding to help their business stand out. But this can often lead to overcomplicated designs that include too many colours, graphics and information. If a potential customer cannot read or understand your branding, they won’t know what products or services you are selling. Making them less inclined to approach your business and they might go to your competitors instead. As a small business, this can be detrimental to your growth and development. It might even quickly put you out of business. But just because less is more doesn’t mean that your branding is going to fade into the background. Look at top brands such as McDonalds and Nike to see what branding techniques they have used. You’ll find almost all of them have clean designs and only use a few colours. The look of these companies stands out far more than those that are too complicated or messy to look at. Consult with a branding agency to create some potential designs that are direct but still relate to your business.
Disregarding your competition.
No matter what kind of business you are creating, you will have competition of some sort. Your business competitors are the ones who will be appealing to the same customer base as you and selling similar products. If their branding is stronger than yours, you may find that your target market chooses to shop with them instead of you. So it’s important that you continually take note of what they are doing. You can look at their websites or visit them in store to weigh up the pros and cons of their branding. This will give you some fantastic insight that will help you develop a better brand all round. It’s important to remember that even though you are looking to them for inspiration and ideas that you don’t copy them. Take what you have learned from their branding package and use it to create something unique and original.
Not being consistent.
Not being consistent with your branding is a terrible mistake to make. Not only is it confusing for your customers, but it also reduces the professionalism of your business. This can encourage potential clients and customers to go elsewhere and make you lose valuable income. So it’s vital that once your branding has been created, that you use it continually. Your branding should tie all aspects of your business together. From large signs to shopping bags, your logo and chosen colours should always be present. Again consult with a branding service to create a package that covers multiple elements, while still being cohesive. This will give your startup a stronger look as well as impress your customer base.
Forgetting to get feedback.
While you might think that your brand is amazing, your customers might not have the same opinion. This is why it’s always advantageous to ask for feedback on the look of your branding. You can use social media to ask your customers for their thoughts on your branding and any changes they would make. Their perception might be very different to what you thought, and this can give you valuable information on how to improve. After all, you are aiming to attract and retain customers through your brand. Rebranding is common in the business world and is not a sign of failure. It shows great initiative and can assist your business in it’s development. Take the suggestions from your customers and use them to help you rebrand your startup.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create an appealing look that will help your small business succeed. While you probably have plenty of business-related tasks to tackle, make time to consider the look and feel you want to create. That way you are giving yourself sufficient time to generate ideas, ask for assistance and create a brand that you are proud of.
