6 Reasons Your Business Needs a Brand, Not Just a Logo
Let’s go ahead and get one thing straight here: your brand is so, so much more than your logo, guys. Your logo is one tiny tiny tinnnnnyy piece that falls under the giant umbrella of everything that is your brand. I get asked the following questions all the time:
What is the difference between a brand and a logo?
Why do I need a brand if I already have a logo?
I already have a logo, do I need a brand to go with it?
Que: overwhelm. It’s a lot, I know. I’m going to break it down one-by-one in this post to make it alllll seem easier.
My favorite analogy? Getting a logo created without a brand is like buying curtains for a house that’s not yet built yet. You need to have the FOUNDATION before you pick out the designs!
WHAT IS A LOGO?
A logo is your business’s identification by use of a simple graphic/ symbol/ mark. It should be memorable, simple, and reflect your business in some way. This is what will be used on marketing material, social media graphics, your website, and business cards and as the mark of your brand so everyone can recognize that it’s you, baby!
WHAT IS A BRAND?
While your logo is a itsy bitsy teeeeny part of your business, your brand is so much more than that. Your brand is the emotion your customers feel when thinking about and interacting with your business. A business with a great brand has identified their values, what they stand for, and successfully convey this message to their audience seamlessly. It emcompasses both the visual identity and everything behind the scenes. Your brand is the umbrella over everything that is your business -- it’s your customer service, the tone of your emails, your visual identity, your marketing messages, the whole sha-bang.
Each business will have a unique brand; however, there are a few points that remain true across the board when it comes to ahem “good branding.”
Your brand should be consistent and ever-present. From your website and social media platforms to the client onboarding process - it is important that the brand message rings true from all aspects. The devils in the details, ya know?
Your brand should follow a strategy. This includes (but not limited to) brand colors, fonts, consistent core values, and brand messaging. It is necessary to create a brand strategy to ensure that the content you are producing and message you are speaking to your audience each day aligns with your brand. Plussss, it just helps make all these decisions easier.
TOP 6 REASONS YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS A BRAND, NOT JUST A LOGO
BRANDING MAKES PEOPLE KNOW IT’S YOU
You can’t expect your audience to remember your business name, services, or message if you are not showing up consistently with a consistent brand. If they don’t remember YOU, they won’t remember to WORK with you! You want people to see something and know that you posted it.
BRANDING MAKES PEOPLE TRUST YOU
If you had to choose between going to McDonald’s or a building that had a sign that said “Hamburgers Here” - you’d probbbbbbably choose McDonald’s, right? Why? Because you KNOW their brand. You know what they serve. You know the golden arch. You know that you’ll get a quick and easy, fast food experience there. And, you may be one of us who know that the fries taste good dipped in the ice cream. (And I mean that.)
BRANDING MAKES PEOPLE CONNECT WITH YOU
By sharing your message, your core values, and showing up consistently, your audience feels like “they know you.” Again, if you were searching for a Business Coach and one coach had quote images that didn’t even kinda-sorta look like they went together scattered on their social media while the other had a cohesive page, consistent messaging, and also shared some personal tidbits about their life - which would you choose? We hear it all the time because it’s true, people have to know, like and trust you to pay you, and you hear it all the time for a reason.
BRANDING MAKES PEOPLE REFER YOU
If one of your past clients can’t remember your logo, your business name, your values, or your services; how can you expect them to refer you to someone else who may need your services? I mean HELLOOO - it is so noisy out there and the only way you are going to get these referrals is by showing up and being front-of-mind with people.
People will refer you because they feel like they know you. Whether it’s knowing you have a couple of dogs, enjoy decorating for the holidays, and offer customized web design - they are able to truly connect with you. And this allows them to feel confident enough referring one of their friends because they TRUST you will take care of the referral because at their core, they see some of themselves in you. It’s all about creating those connection points to get people to want to work with you. And that’s what branding does!
YOUR BRANDING LEAVES A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE
It’s all about your clients’ experience, before they even start working with you. Showing up consistently and with a solid brand shows others that you walk the walk. It shows people that you take your work seriously. And why would anyone invest in you if you aren’t willing to invest in yourself? Your brand allows your customers to get a 360 view of your business in a way that shows who you really are, so they know exactly what to expect when working with you.
IF DONE CORRECTLY, IT WILL ATTRACT YOUR DREAM CLIENTS
In my intake form on my website I ask people WHY ME, why do they want to work with me and not the million other web designers out there… and you know what a majority of them say? Because they love my site. They love my brand. They’ve followed me on social media and feel like we’d work well together. That is all branding. I’ve been able to attract SO many dream clients because I’ve shown up consistently with consistent branding and showed that I walk the walk.
Want to know if your brand is working for you? Ask yourself these questions:
How are you differentiating your business from the rest?
What emotions is your brand evoking in your audience?
Are you currently attracting your dream clients?
In a saturated market that is what truly will separate you from your competition. SO many people can get the job done, but your brand will be what makes them choose YOU to do the job.
