What is branding?

What is branding and why is it so important?

I still remember that moment in college… I was sitting down in my Strategic Marketing class when my professor said something so powerful that I will never forget… “You may have the greatest and most amazing product or service out there, but if your audience doesn’t have a clue that it exists it’s completely worthless”. This has stuck to me ever since because it’s such a simple concept yet so true, so powerful and so freaking important!

So what is branding?

Let’s dive in...

If you’re a business owner, I’m pretty sure you hear it all the time… “Branding is essential for your business to thrive”... “Good branding should be your #1 priority”... “You are your own brand”... and the list goes on.

But do we really know what it means and why it is so important?

Before we start with some definitions it is crucial to understand that branding goes beyond just your name, a beautiful logo or your marketing materials. Branding is much more than that...

Branding is the whole experience you provide to your customers from start to finish. It is the essence- the heart and soul of your business. It is your complete visual identity, but most important it is how you make your audience feel. Branding is ultimately all about emotion. The feelings that you want to transmit to your ideal clients.

And why is it so important?

HELPS YOU REACH YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS

A cohesive, well-designed brand will communicate the message you want to give to your ideal customer. It should give a first impression that wows them and lets them see the value of your product. You have seconds to convince them to stick around so make it worthy!

SETS YOU APART FROM THE CROWD

Branding helps you stand out from the competition. We are all visual people; we remember things by their appearance so having a unique and cohesive brand will not only differentiate you from the crowd but it will also help your audience remember you.

SETS YOU AS A PROFESSIONAL

Effective branding can help you appear to be more professional which will result in clients wanting to work with you and buy from your services. It will elevate not only the value of your services and products but of your business in general. This will also result in an audience that respects you and trusts you.

CREATES CONNECTION WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

Branding helps you create and build a powerful strong relationship with them. It is all about how you position your business in front of your ideal client. A well-designed brand will help build trust among your clients. Trust is a must in order to grow a loyal engaged audience.

Conclusion:

A cohesive, unique, and professional brand experience will allow you to stand out in the mind of your ideal client and lead to increased visibility, engagement, and ultimately, sales. So have a cohesive brand, get out there, expose yourself with a brand that you are proud of, and most importantly a brand that transmits emotion and a beautiful experience to your audience. Always remember that we, as human beings, are buying into brands because of the emotions that they made us feel.

A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.

– Seth Godin