Insanely Clever Marketing

Where the Heck is Your Branding? Get It Recognized Now!

Posted by Penelope Herbert on November 30, 2016 · 2 Comments 

Marketing is essential for any business – as you must surely be aware if you’re on this blog! But a key aspect of memorable marketing is your branding. When you’re developing your brand, you need to think about at least three things.

Your branding is about creating a personality and look for your business that will really strike people. You need to think about promoting it so people can actually see it. And, importantly, you must think about getting your brand legally protected so it can’t be impinged upon by others.

So let’s have a quick look at these essential elements of brand development.

Your Branding : Deciding on a personality

What kind of personality do you want to get across to your customers? Is your business the kind of business that needs a stern, simple, yet powerful character? Or is it a bit more laidback, willing to have fun, eager to make people laugh?

Maybe you haven’t considered the personality of your business yet. You may have considered your own personality when in business mode, but your business as a whole needs the same treatment. In fact, what I’m talking about here is often explicitly referred to as brand personality.

Your Branding : Considering the design

So, you know the character you’ve got to get across. That is an essential step to deciding what visual aesthetic you’re going to go for. The first thing you probably thought about here was a logo.

A lot of businesses forget just how much needs to be communicated in a logo. Don’t make the same mistake! You’ve got to think about your color scheme, as well as the sort of shapes you want to dominate your website design. You may even need to think about mascots. Your business should be visually striking and memorable without someone having to interact with it.

Your Branding : Getting it out there

Once you’ve got a branding strategy, you need to get that mix of design aesthetic and personality out there. Digital marketing is, of course, a must. But a lot of digital marketing doesn’t really use a lot of the aesthetic parts of your brand. It focuses more on raw text.

Video advertising is definitely more suited to this sort of thing. Better yet is physical marketing. Posters, billboards, and even the exterior of your office. All of these can be used to spread brand awareness. Consider premiums for visitors, conferences, tradeshows, etc. Things like shirts, USB sticks, custom lanyards, mugs… Practical items with your branding are an amazing way to get your branding out there.

Your Branding : Trademarking

Please do not make the mistake of going through all this trouble and forgetting to trademark your brand! Any logos, original fonts, characters, and unique color schemes must be protected legally. Otherwise, you run the risk of other businesses taking advantage. They could use elements of your brand to trick their own customers into thinking you’re affiliated with them. You’re putting your brand at risk if you don’t take these necessary steps. Yes, they will cost you – but don’t be tempted to go without protection.

Images courtesy of Wikimedia, Flickr,