Remember the old KISS philosophy … Keep It Simple Silly (KISS). That is what effective branding is all about, and is that simple. The problem most entrepreneurs have is they struggle with their branding. They get in very complex design efforts and even more complex style that they feel represents their brand. As they move along, they redesign, rehash and restructure branding, in the belief that the branding should grow with the company. After a while, they are spending significant amounts of time, money and design efforts in their quest for a perfect brand identity.
The fact is, the best businesses develop their brand and stick to it! What does it take to develop a solid branding strategy and make it last?
Building a Lasting Brand Identity
Branding can be hard, if you let it be. To set up a winning branding strategy, you should have a clear vision of just what you are about. Think about your mission. Clearly understand your values. Does your brand have a formal or informal style? Understand clearly what your audience looks like. Every element of your brand should be instantly recognizable. Every color, design and graphic representation should be instantly recognizable across all platforms. If you think about brands like McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Walt Disney, they are instantly recognizable.
If you don’t believe in the power of recognition, think about the response of a child in the back seat of a car when you pass the golden arches. That is the brand recognition response you are going for. Any touchpoints of your business need to have your branding clearly represented. Everything from written correspondence, to business cards and your social media engagement — it all makes a difference.
One of the most dangerous mistakes a business makes when building their brand is with the logo. Think of your logo as a flag. If you fly the logo and people recognize it, they will come. Again, think about McDonalds and the golden arches. The mistake comes in the belief that the brand is the logo. Branding is not the logo. The logo is a small portion of your branding. Do not make the logo your singular branding focus.
Make Your Branding Work for You
One last element of a solid branding strategy is to remember SEO. Optimizing your branding for SEO will make things much more effective. Your brand will become instantly recognizable and much more searchable. As your brand recognition develops, it will be come more ‘clickable’ across all of your digital platforms.
For more information on brand and brand development for SEO, check out this informative article from Yoast. If you are interested in assistance with your branding strategy, reach out to the branding specialists at EDK.