Branding is a vital aspect to every business. It is responsible for how the world perceives you and your business and it’s very important that we pay attention to this aspect of marketing. If your business branding is sloppy or unprofessional, your potential customers will probably assume that you, also, are sloppy and unprofessional, which is hardly how you want to be seen!
Your marketing materials and all related promotional items should match in style, colors, and design. By keeping uniformity, you give the customer comfort and a feeling of security, which may be subconscious, but is nevertheless very real. That feeling of security helps to eliminate the confusion of who you are and how you handle business. Remember, a confused customer will ALWAYS say no!
Uniformity in your branding leads to brand recognition. Brand recognition builds confidence and awareness about your business. People are less hesitant to trust businesses that have this image of credibility. There is a feeling portrayed that the company will be around for a while–not a fly-by-night operation that will disappear with their money.
Some things to think about when branding your business and buying marketing materials:
- Your business cards are the single most, cost-effective marketing piece that you can invest in for your business. Make sure to have them professionally designed and printed. Make sure they are printed on a heavy grade, quality cardstock, as flimsy business cards give the impression of a flimsy company. If you cut corners on your most important marketing tool, you give the impression that you may cut corners on something that matters to your customer. NOT the first impression you want to leave!
- Your letterhead should match your website. Your website should match your promotional materials. Your promotional materials should match your advertising. And so on. I think you can get the idea–uniformity is important!
It is also important to keep your brand current with the culture, which brings up the aspect of re-branding. Re-branding is when you update the look of your branding. There are times when you just need to freshen things up — shake them up a bit. This is a process that I’m currently working through with Dramatic Design. As you can see, the website has changed, well…dramatically! (I’m still in the process of updating other aspects of my branding.)
While I still liked the branding to the left, it was starting to look very dated. It was starting to get boring–and if I thought it was boring, what must my prospective clients thought! It wasn’t right anymore, as my business is a constant state of transition and growth. I needed to punch it up…take it to the next level. So, I have upgraded the colors to something more “2011,” created a new design, and came up with a more creative tagline. These things helped me to get excited about my business branding–and about my business.
If you haven’t considered your branding, I would challenge you to think about it! If you have had the same branding materials for a while, it might be time to update your brand! Either way, I’m here to help! Please ask your questions below, in the comments, or send me an email. Let’s see how Dramatic Design can help you shake it up!
