Whenever you talk to a marketer or designer, they will inevitably want to discuss your brand. Some days it seems like branding is all they do, because it’s at the heart of these matters. But why? It can all seem a bit overwhelming, many people find it annoying, and anyone with any level of reluctance ends up wondering why it even matters, anyway. People used to run small businesses without thinking about branding, right? Why do we have to?
When you understand the reasons you can’t ignore branding for your business, you’ll better understand how to reach your customers and make the most of your brand.
Here are five reasons branding is so important to your business.
1. Brands Build Recognition
You need to build relationships with your customers. How can you do that when they don’t remember ever seeing you before? When you have a clear visual for your brand, designed to draw attention and be memorable, you build a relationship every time your the customer is exposed to your brand.
2. Attracts The Right Customers
Great branding tells the story of your business right away. They see a playful, colorful image with a small child reading a book and they immediately know this image has something to do with children and reading, possibly learning. If they have a small child, this will interest them. If not, they’ll move on. This image let the customer know right away whether this business interested them. It attracts your right audience.
3. Builds Trust
Well-designed branding will build trust with a customer. This can happen from a few different angles. One way is that a professional design says this business is legitimate and cares about their products. It also builds trust through recognition; the more often a potential customer recognizes you, the more familiar they become, and that builds trust.
4. Adds Value
A professional brand can define your price point. Beautiful imagery, trust, recognition–these things have value to a customer. If they look at your product next to the competition and get a better feeling, they will be willing to pay more for that.
5. Supports Word of Mouth
Customers want to refer their friends to businesses they trust. Even if they’ve used your services in the past and had a good experience, they may feel uncomfortable linking their friend to an outdated website with a confusing logo. Good branding with a clear message makes people feel comfortable and excited to refer their friends to a business they think will meet their needs.
