If you look at today’s market, it can get nauseous since probably millions of businesses compete for the public’s purchasing power. Yet regardless of your business, you are nothing without your brand. The market is increasingly becoming competitive, so you need to have an effective brand that people can easily remember and relate to. It is the brand that separates successful and profitable businesses from the ones that don’t make it to the cut. Your brand communicates what the business is about, what you offer, and what sets you apart from the competition.
Your brand mainly talks about your promise to consumers. First and foremo
st, you need to define your brand before worrying yourself over other aspects of the business. However, you don’t realize it or get the answers in one go. It is more often than not a self-discovery journey, much like a trial and error thing before you can hit the jackpot. To find out the answers you are looking for regarding your brand, you must first be able to define your company mission. Then, list all your products or services and identify its various pros and cons. Know the public’s perception or pre-formed notion about your company. Are you happy with what they think? If not, what do you want to change and how do you intend to do it?
The Harley-Davidson bar and shield is arguably one of the most recognized logos in the world. It’s on everything from shirts and hats to teddy bears and coffee mugs. And oh, by the way, it’s also on the company’s motorcycles.
That’s a brand, and the highest evolution of the species. People not only recognize the logo, but exactly what it stands for: terms like “rebel,” “rugged” and “individual” immediately spring to mind. When a brand reaches that pinnacle, customers connect with it on a much deeper level, and identify with those traits. The brand has become an experience. Don’t make the mistake, however, of assuming that branding of this kind is only for Fortune 500 companies.
Brand consistency is instrumental in the healthy development and progression of any business, including Laundromats. A positive experience with your brand improves customer satisfaction and can help scale positive word-of-mouth that’s absolutely priceless.
(Via: https://americancoinop.com/articles/importance-creating-brand-part-1)
Always do your research first to save yourself from committing many mistakes you could have avoided in the first place and conserve your time, effort and money. Know your market and identify your target. The next most sensible thing to do is to get your own brand logo so that people can easily identify you from the crowd. Also, think of the message you want to communicate or appear alongside your logo. These may be petty things for now but you’ll realize later on how crucial they are to your success.
If you could get your hands on it, you probably wouldn’t even recognize Influence & Co.’s first logo. Graphics, colors, fonts, logos, and messaging change over time, and that’s normal. But after a while, the customers who stay with your business year after year expect a certain look and feel. With 90 percent of buying decisions made subconsciously, that consistency is key to quickly and emotionally connecting with customers as your business grows.
Brands like Coca-Cola and Nike have managed to maintain consistency over decades in business. Even with subtle changes in design over the years, there is a basic look that remains consistent.
But your brand is more than a logo. It’s everything that represents your company, from your personal branding and the content you create to your mission, the employees that humanize your brand, and everything in between. As you grow your company, maintaining your brand’s consistency can be a challenge.
Many things will change but one thing should remain the same, your brand should speak about the values you also value in life and should not change even if your business grows to an exponential level. You ought to communicate the same message over and over again regardless of the passage of time if you establish set policies or SOPs that everyone in the company should observe – without exception. From setting up business emails for everyone to generating businesslike logos and templates, it gives outsiders the message that you are a cohesive team and you know and are consistent in what you are doing.
And as the company grows, learn to delegate tasks. Micromanaging will just exhaust you and keep your attention away from more important things that you need to personally oversee. There are much more reasons as to why branding matters a lot and you probably know it by now. Get all these issues taken care of as soon as you possible and you can start reaping the benefits of your hard work sooner rather than later.