Tag: Rebranding

The-importance-of-branding-1024x576
Branding and Advertising Tips and Tricks

The importance of branding

What is Branding?

 

Branding [branding] noun

 

The promotion of a particular product or a company by the means of advertising and distinctive design.

 

By the textbook definition and in its simplest form, branding is the art of promoting and marketing a company and its line of products and services through the process of creating a name, symbol (logo), and other design elements that can be easily recognized by the audience and end consumers. Branding helps people to identify your products and services and distinguish them from others.

 

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

 

Branding is an important process for any company as it not only helps them to leave an impression on the minds of the end consumers but also helps in creating a level of expectation. It is because of the process of branding that your customers know what to expect from your brand. Branding helps your business to break through the millions of offerings out there and make yourself stand apart while grabbing your customer’s attention.

 

How to build a brand?

 

The word branding comes from the ancient Norse word, ‘Brandr’ which meant ‘to burn’ but in the modern world, branding means something else. Today, branding means the process you undertake to grow your company and create a long-lasting impression in front of your audience.

 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

 

However, there is more to this process than what its textbook definition implies. Branding is much more than designing a logo and tagline for the sake of designing it. Branding is the process that helps you, as a business to establish a meaningful and emotional relationship with your customers.

 

There are many ways in which a company can go around and build their brand but the process starts with having logo that people can recognise easily, from anywhere and at any time. Other ways to grow and build your brand include your advertising and communication materials, merchandising, promotional partnerships and more.

 

Why is Branding important?

 

Branding is important because it portrays who you are as a business, what do you stand for and how do you wish to be perceived by your customers. Branding is important as it defines who your audience sees you as a brand. It is the most important process that will determine the success of your business.

 

Helps you stand out

 

Although the overall process of branding is similar for every business, how you, as a business approach it helps you to set yourself apart from your competition. The philosophy of branding is different for every business, everyone has their own unique approach to this process.

 

Your approach, as a business towards branding will determine your impact and image in the minds of your audience. Branding can and will change how your audience sees you as a business. And that is how branding helps you stand out and breakthrough in the vast sea of competition.

 

Become recognizable

 

The branding process is all about creating a name for your business in the minds of your customers. This is branding is an important process as it helps you to project your business in the minds of your audience.

 

A highly successful brand is an easily recognisable one. All your branding elements, right from your logo to website help you to create a distinct image about your business that people can relate to and recognise easily. Because of this recognition and familiarity, people know what to expect when they see product and services from your business.

 

Turns your audience into loyal customers and fans

 

Do you know what is one thing that is common across all the big brands of the world?

 

They have a loyal fan following and a loyal customer base.

 

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay

 

Branding helps you achieve this loyalty. Your branding process helps you to create an emotional connection with your audience that goes a long way in establishing the feeling of mutual trust. This mutual trust then helps you to turn your audience into your fans and ultimately, loyal customers.

 

Create a consistent Brand Experience

 

Your fans turn into loyal customers when you provide them with a consistent experience every time when they interact with your offerings. A consistent brand experience is what paves the way for a successful brand. To provide an uniform and consistent brand experience to your customers, you as a brand, need to make sure that your audience and customers have a similar experience across all brand touch points- be it websites, walk-in stores or even on social media.

 

Creates a trusting environment

 

When you carry on with your branding activities, you create an environment of trust within your audience. Your branding activities help your brand to position itself as an industry expert. And generally, people like to buy products from businesses that portray themselves as professionals and experts. Branding helps you to achieve all this and create a feeling of trust amongst your audience.

 

Branding also goes a long way in dictating your advertising and marketing strategies. Advertising and marketing– both are components of branding and they both help your business to achieve your desired brand portrayal.

 

Branding is a very big and continuous process that requires constant care and attention. If you ever feel lost or overwhelmed during the process, get in touch with a branding expert who can help you grow your business into a recognizable brand.

The-colourful-world-of-branding-1024x576
Branding and Advertising Digital Marketing

The colourful world of branding- what your brand colours tell about your brand!

Colours play a very vital role in the success of any brand. Branding and Colours go hand in hand, with each other. The colours you select, speak a lot about your brand. They tell more about your brand than you can imagine. Each colour represents a different element and aspect of the business. So, before selecting the right colours for your brand you must be careful and consider what you wish your business to represent.

 

Another thing to keep in mind while selecting the colours for a brand is that they set the tone for your brand in the minds of your audience. The colours of your brand set a public perception which can and will impact your brand in a big way. The psychology of colours goes a long way to help your brand create a trust-based relationship with your audience.

 

The entire colour palette for branding can be divided into two kinds of colours- Warm & Cool. The warm palette brings with it the passion, energy and dominating vibes, the cool colours of the palette offer a sense of trust and security. When you work in branding and marketing, carefully selecting the right colour becomes an important job for you.

 

And to make this job easy for you, let us have a look at what different colours mean in the world of branding. Let’s browse through what qualities do each colour bring with themselves and what kind of product suits that particular colour really well.

 

Red

 

The hottest and most dynamic colour on the colour palette, red brings with it a sense of passion and power. This colour is very dynamic in nature and signifies a top position in the power hierarchy.

 

Brands that use this colour in their branding and marketing material are often looking to position themselves as the best of their industries. Red is a very attention-grabbing colour, used to create excitement and buzz in the audience.

 

This is the photo of all the companies that have a red logo.
Companies with a RED logo

Yellow

 

Yellow is the brightest and most energy-rich colour on the palette. This colour signifies happiness and smiles. Overall, yellow is a very bright and expressive colour that portrays emotions very well This is why we see so many emoji and emoticons to be yellow. This colour evokes a sense of happiness, youthfulness and optimism. Brands use this colour, especially in combination with black, when they want to communicate and place themselves and their products as a youthful one, filled with positivity and creativity.

 

Orange

 

Not as dominating or aggressive as the colour red, this one subdues it. The colour orange strikes the perfect balance between the passion and energy of red and the bright optimism of yellow.

 

Orange is a very spiritual colour in the world of branding and is often associated with brands that are related to the energy sector or holistic healing sector. The orange colour is very playful in nature and invokes the feeling of friendliness. There is something about this colour that makes it trustworthy.

 

This is the photo of all the companies that have a Orange logo.
Companies that have an orange logo

Blue

 

This colour falls on the cooler and calmer side of the palette. Blue is a very calm and soothing colour that stands for a serene and spiritual colour. This colour has a sense of calm that helps people to be at ease.

 

People often associate this colour with oceans and skies, which is why we see most brands use this colour in their branding and communication. More than 60% of brands in the world- both big and small, use the blue colour in their branding material.

 

The fact that this colour represents trust, maturity and calmness is something most of the brand try to take advantage of. This is why blue is the most favourite colour of top brands across the world.

 

This is the photo of all the companies that have a Blue logo.
Companies with a Blue logo

Green

 

Green is a calm colour that often stands for stability and balance. Inspiring people with positivity, this colour is linked with growth, prosperity and is known to denote a strong bond between things.

 

Normally, in the business world, the green colour and all its shades are associated with either health companies or financial companies. The colour also signifies rejuvenation and healing, part of the reason why most of the medicals we see, have the colour green as their dominating brand colour.

 

Purple

 

The colour of creativity and imagination, the colour purple stands for original ideas and thoughts. It is a very mysterious yet royal colour that can lift up any artwork with its presence. The royalty and luxury of purple is something that is very rare to find amongst all the colours in the colour palette.

 

Due to its royal and luxurious nature, this colour is often associated with high-end and flagship products. Mostly found in hospitality or luxurious goods and service industry, the purple shade is also a creator’s colour.

 

People from the creative industry try to utilize this colour a lot in their work.

 

This is the photo of all the companies that have a Purple logo.
Companies with a Purple logo

 

Black & White

 

The classic colours of the palette. The two ends of the colour spectrum. You will run out of words to define this classic colour combination but you won’t ever find a replacement for any these two colours.

 

Both of these colours can standout own their own as well as blend in nicely with any colour on the palette. The seer amount of simplicity, purity and sophistication these colours bring with themselves is something that cannot be described in words.

 

It is important to understand the psychology and the attributes associated with each of these colours. When you are building a brand, the colours you opt for, play a significant role in the success or failure of your brand. Learn the are of branding and selecting the right colour for your brand, today! Connect with me and know how you can grow your branding by selecting the right colours in your branding and communication process.

Personal-branding
Branding and Advertising Tips and Tricks

A beginner’s guide to Personal Branding .

Whether you like it or not – You are a brand. Now, if you are a brand you need to have a plan too.

 

You are a brand – you may not realize this but you are! And you need to have a plan on how to project it but you just realized a few lines back that you were one,  that is why I am here to help you.

 

Failing to plan is planning to fail

 

 

Your personal brand is something which will grow over time but for that to happen you need to start. The journey of a thousand miles always begins with one step.

 

Laying the foundation of your personal brand is your first step towards building a brand and this is not difficult. Your brand is an extension of you – your values which are already within you.

 

Start from the inside out when planning to build your personal brand.

 

Be Genuine

 

 

Let me tell you a story about a soap that is probably at your home too – Dove.

 

When Dove began its Campaign for Real Beauty (now the Dove Self Esteem project) in 2004, it transformed itself from merely a soap company to a company with a vision. Their new mission statement was that “beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety.”

 

By consistently aligning its marketing efforts with its mission statement, Dove has been able to change its public perception to a brand that authentically champions women’s empowerment and wants to change the conversation around beauty. The longevity and resources Dove has put into changing the advertising industry’s narrow view of beauty have also made Dove appear more credible with its marketing messages.

 

If Dove can do it, you can do it too.  Be Genuine, Be Yourself.

 

When you are genuine with your work, it reflects in your work, product and the your BRAND as well.

 

Communicate your motives, make your mission clear, place your brand in such a way that it reflect your mission and purpose. Being genuine and true in your branding efforts goes a long way in creating a trust amongst your audience.

 

Promote your brand on social media

 

 

Promote your brand on social media, but beware with great reach comes greater responsibilities.

 

Social media has changed the nature of having a personal brand. The good side is the sheer volume of people you are able to reach. However, a certain level of caution must be exercised.

 

It’s important to know how to use social media properly to talk about your personal brand. Remember the first point we made was your brand is an extension of your values, so if you taint your name on social media, it will come back to bite your brand.

 

Tell an interesting story

 

 

If your personal brand isn’t telling a story, you’ve already lost half of your potential audience. Allen Garnett, Chief Strategy Officer at Skyword and author of The Creative Curve explains it best, “The most effective personal branding strategy these days is to build a true narrative – single character monologues are boring in Tinsel town, and even more boring for your personal brand.”

 

No one wants to hear you shout about your brand into the social media void, so create a story around your brand that your audience can engage with.

 

One of the best ways to tell that story is through written content or video. YouTube sees some of the highest levels of audience engagement across all the platform followed closely by Twitter.

 

The most personal way to communicate online now is with video. If you don’t have a budget for the professional cameras it’s alright simply use your phone to create a video message for your audience. Make a personal connection with prospective clients and connect with your audience.

 

Remember the little things

 

 

It is important to remember the small things you can do to improve your personal brand.

 

A simple act of following up immediately after meeting someone is important and keeps your personal brand a connected to your clients.

 

Little things go a long way. Rome was not built in a day and your brand won’t be either. But once Rome was built, it was the envy of the entire world and your brand can be the same.

 

Change is the name of the game

 

 

Your Personal Brand should see the same kind of progression your career has. Your first year of business will not the same as your tenth, this should reflect in your brand ideology too.

 

Business growth should go hand in hand with the ideologies of your brand. If your brand has been Philanthropist right from the start, that should not change just because you had a slow quarter or a year.

 

Find victory in your failures

 

 

Failure is tough, and all of us generally want to avoid it – that’s human nature. However, to have a personal brand that rises above the rest, you need to have failure.

 

Failure is not just any stepping stone to success it is the VERY FIRST one.

 

Walt Disney reminisced about his failed first attempts at creating an animation brand. “I think it’s important to have a good hard failure when you’re young. I learned a lot out of that. Because it makes you kind of aware of what can happen to you.” And what can happen is never as frightening as not trying at all.

 

If Walt hadn’t failed with his animation brand we would not have had all those fairy tale stories that we so fondly grew up with and cherished.

 

Play the positive game

 

 

After you’ve developed your personal brand over a period of time, there are generally two ways to continue to build your brand – Hop over others and burn bridges or Steadily grow a community around your brand.

 

The first option though easy, is also a sure way of destroying your brand while the second option is difficult, it is a promising way to grow your brand.

 

Identify the right platform

 

 

A sure sign of a strong brand is its ability to shine on any medium- Display, Print, Audio, and Video.

 

A solid brand should adapt to its new environment while still maintaining the core look, tone and personality that it has spent a lot time to build.

 

While, radio and television ads were the darlings of the previous generation, we have social media which promises to give you the same reach and at a lower cost.

 

These are just a few answers to important questions you should know before advertising, if you want to know more connect with me on Instagram to learn more about Personal Branding.

 

Your Brand is YOUR Legacy

 

 

Once you’ve built your personal brand with a reputation and community behind it, the next step is to think about the legacy that you’ll leave behind. What are the keywords and actions that you want to be known for? 

 

Blake Jamieson, artist at Blake Jamieson LLC, who paints pop art portraits of famous tech and sports heroes reminds us that: “Building a personal brand is much bigger than building a business. The only exit strategy is legacy.”

 

A personal brand is a lifelong project that constantly evolves and changes. Even the experts who build or enhance the biggest brands in the business know that there are no hard-set rules for creating a personal brand. But these general guidelines help provide first steps, especially if you’re starting a new brand or rebranding.

 

Apart from following the guidelines, asking experts to mentor you on how to create a powerful personal brand from an expert always helps.