Our Branding Agency in Essex Talks: ‘Why Branding is the be-all and end-all’
All too often; branding is something companies tend to pick up and drop when they have the budget or the time. Your branding journey is ongoing; it should be considered and continuous so that it remains current. This is because, how your company looks to the outside world is often more critical to your brand’s reputation in the long term than anything your company may or may not do in terms of marketing.
You may miss a marketing trend, or not initiate PR campaigns as regularly as you should; but your branding is the one constant that portrays your company message without having to say a word.
Branding that goes beyond visuals
It is widely accepted that branding relates purely to logo design and imagery, but it is so much more than that. True branding should give a company meaning and portray an all-important message. Consider it the impression in people’s minds and the emotional connection they have when thinking about the products or services your company provides.
It is not just the physical features such as colour association or pretty logos that make up successful branding; it can be achieved in different ways. Our branding agency in Essex touch on the important things to consider when developing your brand:
Brand definition
When a brand has a purpose and values, you are able to attract a targeted crowd. Without them, you’re marketing to everyone (and we all know that doesn’t work!)
By creating brand definition and principles, you create very clear guidelines that can then resonate throughout everything your company does. Whether your ethos is being eco-friendly or super affordable, you have a clear direction as to which charities you might work with or the social media campaigns you choose to run.
Having a standpoint as a brand not only builds familiarity and transparency with your audience; but they know they can trust your company to stick to the promises you will have made publicly. This assists with developing the emotional attachment that we know is so crucial.
Creating an identity
While building a brand identity does involve creating an attractive logo and using appealing fonts and colours on websites and packaging, your tone of voice is equally important.
Will your brand be corporate or casual? How will you speak to your customers?
A prime example of how tone of voice can differ is when you look at the brands Twinings and TeaPigs. Both are teabag brands, both are considered ‘high-end’ but they offer a very different tone of voice. Twinings take on a more corporate and formal turn of phrase on both their website and across socials. Where as TeaPigs are more playful and tongue-in-cheek with their content.
The look and feel of your branding must remain consistent on packaging, on your website and on social media. This is to ensure the best results and continued attention from loyal customers.
At our branding agency in Essex, our multi-award-winning team work to structured design guidelines and do our due diligence when it comes to creating an identity that is as unique as your company. It is crucial that the necessary investigation and research has been done in order to avoid violation of copyright regulations. For example, fonts used can’t look too similar to something already on the market and similarly checks on website domain names are a must.
Pricing speaks volumes
There is a fair amount of psychology that is considered when it comes to the pricing of a product or service. For example, you associate low prices with Aldi and Lidl but more expensive products with Waitrose and M&S.
Setting price expectations should become part of your branding so that you set the tone for the buyer and any purchasing decisions they may make. Brands that want to be known for being cost-effective, by definition, will constantly remind their customers of their low prices. It features in their straplines, in their slogans and usually translates in to most areas of their marketing too.
This isn’t a bad thing, it’s dependable and that’s what you want in order to win over customer loyalty and trust. Be sure to consider what your pricing structure says about your brand.
Customer service & communication
The brand identity and values of your company must be understood on an internal level among staff and externally, among your customers.
It has become very common for a brand to operate at odds with how it is portrayed in the media. How you communicate with your audience on your website or in an advert; should also be the tone of your customer service in a store or in a PR campaign.
Whether you are dealing with a customer query or doing a PR push on your latest product or service, ensure the message is consistent and your communication on-brand.
Get in Touch!
Our branding agency in Essex support our clients and provide them with the tools they need to create the brand that their company desires. We help to create a style that is unique and will enable your brand to stand out among competitors, clearly representing your USP.
VerriBerri pride ourselves on our proactive and transparent approach to every branding project . We aim to become an integrated and invaluable extension of your existing team. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help with you; click here to get in touch with our team, or email sarah@verriberri.co.uk today!
Trackbacks/Pingbacks