Branding is big business. And it’s only getting bigger. By some estimates, the global branding industry is now worth over $500 billion. That’s a lot of money for something that, at its heart, is simply a way of differentiating one product or service from another.

So what exactly is branding? And why is it so important?

Simply put, branding is the process of creating a unique identity for a product or service. This can be done in a number of ways, but the most common methods include the use of logos, taglines, and colors.

The main goal of branding is to build awareness and loyalty among customers. But it can also be used to communicate other messages, such as the quality of a product or the values of a company. In fact, in today’s saturated marketplace, many businesses see branding as an essential one for their survival.

There are countless examples of successful branding all around us. Just think of some of the world’s most iconic brands, such as Coca-Cola, Nike, and Apple. These companies have built their reputations on the back of strong branding campaigns that have resonated with consumers all over the globe.

Best Practices for an Effective Branding

In this article, let’s look at some of the best branding practices that one can follow to obtain optimal results.

Logo, Color Scheme, and Iconography should Remain Consistent

Logo, color scheme and iconography should remain consistent across all marketing channels. A strong visual identity is essential for any business, as it helps to build brand recognition and create a sense of trust. However, it can be difficult to achieve consistency if different channels are using different branding elements. 

For example, a company’s website might feature a different logo to their social media accounts, or their print materials might use a different color scheme. This can be confusing for customers and make it difficult for them to recognize the brand. 

To avoid this, it is important to ensure that all branding elements are kept consistent across all channels. This will help to create a strong and recognizable visual identity that will benefit the business in the long run.

Determine your Brand Messaging and Brand Purpose

In many instances, you might have gazed at a brand’s tagline or ad or logo or anything, and the respective ‘brand name’ will be just coming before your eyes…  

This is the power of Brand Messaging. You would just be looking at a random infographic in Google Images, if you’re familiar with the brand, its tone, colors, word choice, voice, vibe, and language it uses, then without even looking at the logo, you’ll be telling their brand name.

For example, look at the very familiar brand Airbnb’s message to its audience and the purpose of choosing them.

So, the brand message is how you express your unique value proposition, and the purpose is telling why someone would choose you! 

Come up with a resonating brand message and purpose which will pique the desire of your prospects to buy your product or collaborate with you or anything that you wish them to.

Ensure You Stick to Your Brand Elements

Your brand is something that distinguishes you from your peers and competitors. Your business name, website URL, logo, and anything that uniquely identifies you is counted as your ‘BRAND’. And, how well you propagate your brand in the market is what a BRANDING ELEMENT does. 

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, Burger King’s zingers, Baskin-Robbins Vanilla, and Oreo Cookies ‘n Cream – You get some unique taste in all these! You’ll be surprised, even these would come under brand elements.  

Listed below are the various branding elements…  

All these elements can be used to address your brand. Use them on your website, social media profile, emails, letterheads, brochures, packaging designs, wall stickers, keychains, and so many are there. But, “CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY”. 

You might be using a logo in your social media page, at the same time, if you have a different logo design hanging on your website, even a small change in the lines, will impact your branding. People will be confused and get lost in your branding variations. 

Look at how Adidas is maintaining consistency across their logo designs. 

Adidas Being Consistent In Their Branding Across Products

So, if people want to identify you, then it’s in your hands! Maintain consistency and give room for your audience to identify you! 

Brand Storytelling, Brand Vision, and Brand Positioning is the Key

It’s obvious that every business will have a backstory. 

Where did it all start? What inspired the founders to take the first step? How was the travel in the initial stages? and so on…

When you share all these with the audience, people will get emotionally connected with your brand. Your story narration will sound like a friend sharing his/her own story. People will soon tend to see your brand as one of their closest friends. 🙂

Even in your story, you can pull in your vision as well. ‘Vision’ is something you’re looking forward to your brand to be and you never slide left or right to it. You can just define your vision in a couple of statements. And, trust us, these statements are going to accomplish great work among your target groups!! 

Look at these very famous brands’ visions are creating an impact within us…

Always keep this in mind, brand vision is just going to be in a short statement, but it’s what is going to stay in your users’ minds. When people just read your vision, they should put in the trust that, “You care for them, them only…you understand their pain points…and that your brand can serve as a remedy for their wounds”. 

The next important thing for branding is – “Brand positioning”… not about your position in the Google results. It’s something related to where you stand in the hearts of the audience. 

Emotions are a feeling where people get connected easily. When you’ve a story & vision that evokes the emotions of your audience, your brand will automatically capture a special place in your audience’s hearts! <3…

Again CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY… Make sure your brand storytelling and vision go inline with your brand.  

Stay True to the Brand

So far, we read about conveying your brand message, purpose, story, and vision. In all these, you’re going to communicate with the audience. 

Communication will be effective only if you deliver the message in the right way, in the sense that people should understand what you’re actually coming to say. For such clear-cut communication, you’ll need to stick to a tone and voice.

It’s not what you say, but how you say it! – Mae West 

See how popular brands have set their voice & tone… 

Ask these questions before finding an appropriate tone of voice for your brand…

• What unique values do your brand have?

• In which dimensions do you want your brand to be sounding & balancing? – Funny or serious; Formal or informal; Enthusiastic or factual
• What’s my brand not meant for? What do we never encourage or adhere to?  
• What’s my brand mantra or tagline? 
• What brand of voice makes my peers or competitors get a good brand positioning?  

Answer all these questions and start defining your brand’s tone of voice with a crystal-clear idea… Ensure your tone of voice stays true to your brand. No matter in whichever platform you promote your brand – your own website, social media, community sites, anywhere maybe, MAINTAIN THE SAME TONE AS A MESMERIZING MUSIC…

Value Customer Feedback

The last and final is, “value your customers’ feedback”… This will greatly build a rapport with your target audience. 

No matter how big or small a business is, YOUR CUSTOMER IS YOUR KING… End of the day, their satisfaction is what is going to matter the most. Customers, when happy with your branding, dare to spread their word-of-mouth… 

A logo, a message, a purpose, a story, a vision, a tone, and every single element serves two crucial purposes. First, you use all these to represent your brand identity. At the same time, you use all these to grab the attention of your audience. User-experience plays a vital role here. 

To enhance the user-experience of your customers, you look out for new inspirations here and there. One best place to take up inspiration is from your “Audience”…Don’t hesitate to embrace their suggestions & feedback. When you do so, it’ll be easy for you to know their perspectives and THINK DIFFERENTLY from their point of view.       

Many brands even have made changes to their branding materials giving heed to users’ feedback. Below, we’ve listed a few reputable brands that have tweaked their logos by listening to customers’ feedback. 

Many brands even have made changes to their branding materials giving heed to users’ feedback. Below, we’ve listed a few reputable brands that have tweaked their logos by listening to customers’ feedback.

We found this useful article to share with you, it tells all about how to take up feedback and kickstart your rebranding. This act of embracing your customers’ suggestions, responding, and rebranding will showcase you as a trustworthy brand in the marketplace!!

Over to You  

We’ve covered all the basics about branding in this post…We frequently write blog posts that answer questions like what’s branding? How to do effective branding? If you’re curious to explore, do checkout our blogs room.   

Branding is a creative art. Also, it’s not something you do once and settle down. As days pass by, new trends & fashions roll out and customers’ interests & perceptions might vary. Therefore, depending on your changing businesses’ moods and trends, you’ve to create new branding vibes. 

And, this is where ‘Branding’ and ‘Rebranding’ enters. While branding your business, you should always double-check, you’re not losing your peculiar assets, the interest of your customers. A proficient ‘branding’ service provider can assist you in this.

If you’re looking to get into the ‘branding’ or ‘rebranding’ bandwagon but find it hard to start alone, then feel free to take up assistance from professional branding service providers like ColorWhistle. You can either leave us a message or give us a call at +91 (944).278.9110 (or) +1 (919) 234 5140. 

We’ll study your business, understand the nature, goals, and target audience and formulate the custom branding strategies that stick inline with all these.