Why branding is important?

Effective and quality branding is more than just a nice logo and colours making something looks pretty. Obviously, a logo is an important component of creating a brand identity, but apart from that, there are many other core elements affecting your entire brand image. In fact, it is the whole experience your customer has when interacting with your brand or your product. Good branding helps you reach and speak to your customers in the way that no one does. That’s why it is so important to create a consistent and well-thoughtful identity.

 

Components of branding

Branding enables to define what your company wants to be, what customers you want to reach, but also what experiences and values you want to provide. And thus, when considering branding for your company keep in your mind what your brand stands for and how you want it to be perceived by customers.

Basically, there are few key branding elements, such as brand purpose (philosophy), brand personality, tone of voice, a logo, a colour palette, typography, imagery, visual design, marketing, which combined together make up your identity and help you reach your customers. I will closely go over them next week!

 

Some key features of effective branding

• it communicates and corresponds to your brand;

• it is more than attractive graphics and aesthetics - it provides a value, helps to understand a brand or a product, evokes emotions;

• it is tailored to the target group and its expectations;

• uses fonts, colours, images and solutions which emphasize and support messaging. 

Why branding matters?

Branding is absolutely relevant to any business as it impacts on your company and the way people perceive it, but also builds brand awareness. Branding is also important for every company to get recognition, create a “picture” of it’s business and to introduce brands philosophy to customers and employees as well.

Here are few reasons showing why branding matters:
 

It creates identity and differentiates from competitors

The main reason for considering branding for your company is introducing its image, becoming known to prospective customers and getting recognition within the market. Branding creates your brand’s identity and it’s entire image, allowing to make it recognizable and to provide some elements which customers can associate brand with. What’s more it can set your brand apart from other competitors - even if you are another B2B business or eCommerce company, thanks to unique and memorable image you can stand out among a sea of competitors.

And keep in your mind that first impression you create matters (learn more about it here: https://jcd.pl/how-design-creates-a-powerful-first-impression ) 

 

It builds authenticity within marketplace

Creating a professional, polished and well-planned branding can help gain trust among customers and business partners. People are more willing to cooperate or buy products if the brand creates an impression of being an expert in a certain field.

 

It creates customer loyalty and emotional bond

Have you ever thought how easily people develop an emotional attachment to their favourite brands or products? Basically, every business aims to gain and keep customers coming back all the time. And here’s the emotional role of branding, that helps building long term, deep connections between company and customers, as long as it the brand image is consistent with their values and meets their expectations.

 

“Customers define themselves through brands they use. The branded clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the drinks they consume, university they attended, favourite spots to hang out, and so on.”

Nyimpini Mabunda, Smirnoff Vodka Marketing Manager

It supports marketing and advertising

Well designed branding forms the backbone of creating marketing strategy and planning advertising actions, which should always reflect the brand. Clear messaging and brand philosophy supports the job of marketing teams in planning strategies, that are consistent with your branding goals.

 

It generates new customers

Except keeping your regular customers, branding can also support your advertising actions by getting word of mouth referrals. If your brand creates positive impressions among customers, they are more likely to use the name of the brand they can trust and thereby helping reach the new audience.
 

Conclusions

When your branding is well-thought out and delivers the value which is consistent with your strategy and company’s philosophy, it can benefit by making your business strong, recognizable and more attractive to customers. That's what really matters, as customers do not base their choices just on pricing anymore. Having endless options, they need to get a certain reason why they should choose you instead of your competitors.