Why you should re-fresh your brand not just your logo

How much thought have you put into building your business's brand? If the answer is, "not a lot," then it's time to make a change.  Branding is so much more than just a memorable logo, it is a combination of fonts, colours, patterns and even distinctive image styles that come together so that you have a consistent look, feel and even spoken tone across advertising, stationary, websites, videos and all other marketing materials. Simply put, your brand is how customers identify your company. A strong brand increases the value of your company, gives employees direction, and drives new customers to your company. But strong brands don't just happen. A lot of work goes into building a strong brand. Yet, many organisations neglect to spend time building their brand. This brand guide will give you a closer look into why building a brand is so important. 

Builds Trust

Here's the thing: consumers have trust issues. 

And it's not them, it's you. But don't take it too personally. According to a global study, only 31% of Australians have trust in brands. This is lower than the global average, which is 40%.  Consumers' lack of trust in your company is one of the biggest obstacles you'll need to overcome. But luckily, building their trust can be accomplished by building your brand. You can do this by making sure everything (your logo, your website, and your social media accounts) appear professional and polished. You can also ensure that your emails focus on providing value and not just selling. You'll also need to update your website frequently. You might even consider getting influencers to endorse your products and services. You can also get your name out there by investing in charities and local events. Finally, be present on social media. As you can see, none of these examples involve pushing your product or services on your customer. They're all ways you can build your brand and in turn build the trust of your customer. 

Builds Credibility

How to boost your credibility in 5 simple steps

Builds Familiarity 

People like familiarity. It comforts them and eases their trust issues. Every time you put forth effort into building your brand, you give people an opportunity to familiarise themselves with your company. When your brand is easy to recognise, it will be a lot easier to attract new buyers. They'll be at ease making a purchase. This is because your brand is a household name. 

Generates Referrals

People love getting recommendations about great brands from their peers. In fact, recommendations are a vital component to growing your business. According to a study by Zocolo Group, 92% of consumers report that word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family are the leading influence on their purchasing decisions. The study also found that 91% of consumers will make a recommendation after having a positive experience with a brand.  But in order for people to tell their peers about a brand they love, they must remember the brand. Therefore, you need to focus on building your brand. This will make you memorable to customers. 


Sets You Apart From Competition 

It doesn't matter what industry you're in: everyone's got some stiff competition. While you'd probably like to argue otherwise, the product or service you offer likely isn't all that different from the product or service your competition is offering. But guess what? Consumers don't really care about the nit-picky differences between one product and another.  Their commitment and loyalty aren't with a product because it lasts 1-month longer than your competition's. People aren't loyal to products - they're loyal to brands. If there wasn't a branding label wrapped around a water bottle, no one would pay attention to which one they buy.  But because of branding, people do pay attention to what they buy. When you build a strong brand, you're able to set yourself apart from the competition. You also make it easy for people to pick your product over someone else's. 

Provides Focus

Do you ever feel like your marketing and advertising efforts have no focus? With so many directions to take in your campaigns and nothing to guide you, it can be easy to wander around from idea to idea. But when you've built a strong brand, the guidance is already there. Your brand is the foundation for every social media, marketing, and advertising campaign you do. 

Boosts Employee Pride

Think about the last conversation you had with someone who was talking about their job. If they loved their job, they likely weren't talking to you about the day-to-day intricacies of their work. Instead, they were probably raving about how much they love working for a well-respected brand. When employees are of the brand they work, they're likely to be more engaged in their work. They will also feel a greater sense of loyalty to the company. Every time you work to build your brand in a positive light, you're gaining the respect and commitment of your employees. 

Attracts Top-Quality Talent 

Branding not only helps you retain your current employees - it can also help you attract new ones. A great brand helps future employees understand "why I should work for you and not the other guy." If your organisation is known as an awesome place to work, it's going to attract awesome employees. Let's look at Google, for example. Google offers their employees all kinds of awesome perks: free meals, nap pods, international career options. People know Google is a great brand to work for, and because of this, they're never short on top-quality talent. 

Attracts Stakeholders 

This brand guide has discussed why building a strong brand benefits your relationship with your customers and your employees. But did you know that a strong can also benefit your relationship with your stakeholders? A strong brand can help attract a variety of stakeholders. These include investors, business partners, licensees, providers, governments, and opinion leaders. 

Wrap Up 

We hope this brand guide helps you realise the importance of building a strong brand for your company. And while our brand guide is certainly a useful resource, you still need to put in a lot of hard work to get your brand to where it needs to be. If you're looking for some help with this, please contact us today.