Achieving success for your business means using the most effective branding and marketing strategies. However, strategizing doesn’t come in a one-size-fits-all scheme. What works for one won’t necessarily mean it will work for you, but learning from them surely helps.
Penji offers a feature called “Scan My Brand,” wherein the system will go through your webpages and search for things that may need improvement. We’ll see what needs to be updated and work on improving your brand presence. Here are the major branding misconceptions you need to know to help you build a strategy that works for your brand:
1. Branding is All About Your Logo
Your name, logo, website, and other marketing materials do not define your brand. They’re indeed integral parts of your business, but it’s definitely more than that. Your product quality, customer service, creativity, and dedication to improving your audience’s experience is paramount. Your logo is only a reflection of your commitment, it isn’t what drives you to success, but your customers.
Nike and Apple logos are two of the most famous logos you’ll ever see. But when people see them, they’re reminded of good experiences, memories, and connections with these brands.
2. Branding Isn’t a Necessity
Technology has made competition fiercer than ever, whatever industry you’re in. Thinking that your company doesn’t need branding is one of the biggest branding mistakes you can make. Branding is what will make you stand out from the rest. When you see the Coca-Cola logo, the first thing that comes to mind is “soda.” That alone is reason enough to understand how branding can make you stand out from the crowd.
3. Customers Don’t Care About Branding
It’s only natural for every entrepreneur to think that their products or services are the best. It’s easy for them to assume that customers wouldn’t care if they have a logo or not. On the contrary, studies show that consumer behavior saw a significant change, and they have now become more discerning than ever before. They need to know your story before they put their trust and belief in your brand.
4. Branding Won’t Increase Sales
Nothing is further than the truth in the statement that branding won’t make you money. It really won’t, but branding is what will cause people to choose your brand over all the others out there. That is what branding will bring to your company—value. The Google logo is one of the most popular in the world. Its founders have some of the highest net worth in the world. The word Google itself has now become a verb that means to search.
5. Branding Should Follow Trends
Great branding means having a logo that’s strong and stable. It has to stand the test of time to relay a message of trustworthiness and dependability. Following trends when creating your branding will lead to changes whenever it’s no longer in fashion.
However, branding isn’t a create-and-forget plan of action. You have to know when to revisit and tweak it to become relevant to your audience. Get inspired by the evolution of the Kodak logo, undergoing several transformations over the years as technology advanced.
6. Branding Can Wait
It’s quite understandable for startups to fall into the branding misconception of waiting until they become big to think about identity. But you don’t have to wait before problems arise from not having good branding. You should have it the moment you start your business. Shopify was once a startup that hit it big, and their logo has been with them since.
7. Branding is For Big Companies Only
The example above shows why branding is important, whatever the size of the business is. Branding is what gives small companies the leverage to compete with bigger ones. Consumer loyalty starts with their first purchase, and a company that has good branding will show them credibility. Twitter, a company with solid branding, started as a side project that became one of today’s most prominent names in social media.
8. Branding is All Inclusive
One branding mistake that many people don’t know about is that it is all-inclusive, meaning you create branding for everyone. Successful businesses have learned to identify who their target market is from the very beginning. This is so they can create a marketing strategy that caters precisely to who their products appeal to. Producing hundreds of consumer products, Procter & Gamble is a master of understanding their buyers’ persona. Thus, creating the most fitting branding for each of them.
9. Branding is Advertising and Marketing
Many entrepreneurs fall into the branding misconception that branding is the same as advertising and marketing. Although these three are interconnected, each has a specific purpose and should not be mixed up. Advertising entices people to buy, marketing builds relationships, and branding identifies your brand.
10. Branding is For Businesses with Products
Without the need for package design and other similar marketing materials, some business owners think that they don’t need branding if their company is service-based. The reality is, if you sell services instead of products, you’ll be requiring branding even more. People will recognize you with effective branding even without physical products to market. Accenture is one of the top outsourcing, service-based companies in the world. Above all, its logo is well known throughout the industry.
11. Branding is Subjective
Branding shouldn’t be about what the business owners want or think is suitable for the company. It’s about considering what appeals to the consumers and what will make them buy. Branding should build trust and authority for people to take them seriously. In essence, it isn’t about what the company feels. It’s about creating marketing strategies that work.
12. Branding is Expensive
A typical branding mistake is to put off branding at a later time. This is because some entrepreneurs think that branding will cost them a lot of money. There are indeed companies that spend millions to brand themselves, but this shouldn’t be the case. There are available options, especially for small businesses and startups. Penji’s unlimited graphic design services are affordable and accessible to businesses, big or small.
