26/10/2018
Whilst many see a ‘brand’ as a name and logo, it’s so much more. Find out all you need to about branding, and the importance of getting it right.
When it comes to branding not many people fully understand what it entails. A brand is more than just a name and a logo. Branding needs to fully extend past just the basics in order for it to flourish and become well renowned.
Think about some of the biggest brands in the world. Everything they do is stylised, designed and planned in line with the brand. Their writing, their photography, their offices and even their own internal communications, everything is ‘part of the brand’. So, if you want the chance for your business to be as successful, it’s essential to understand the importance of branding.
In this post, Revive looks into everything that makes up a brand. For those pressed on time, we’ve compiled a handy infographic encapsulating what a brand is. We go into much more detail within our writing, so read through!
To understand what branding is, first, it’s essential to understand what makes up branding. In this infographic, we look at everything that goes into a brand:
The core of your brand starts with your name and logo, but it expands further outwards reaching every aspect of your business. We break it down, below.
At the centre of your brand is your name and logo. By far the most important aspect, but not the only part, a good brand should work hard on the core aspects (name and logo). What is your business, what message are you trying to convey, who is your target audience? – all of these questions and more go into developing a brand. It’s not as easy as picking a name and squiggling a ‘logo’ on a page, your name and your logo takes time to develop and will go through several stages before you fully decide if it’s right for you. Your name and logo are essentially your first impression, so they have to encapsulate everything about your business without saying a word.
On the outside of the inner circle is copy style and photography. Balancing between the inner and middle circle, these aspects are key for your business. The style and tone of your copy and the photography you use can help establish your brand. The style of your copy and photography carries across both public, internal and external communications, so it’s essential to make sure your image and voice complement your brand.
Your name, logo, copy style and photography make up your brand’s core identity.
Source: One Hub Southend
Branding extends to the way you communicate and present yourself. Let’s break down each part.
Be it internal or external, all of your communications need to be on brand. Whether it’s posted mail correspondence, ad copy, sales or corporate literature, consistency is key. Which is why, it’s essential to first establish copy style before going further with branding. Those reading your sales copy or even those reading internal documents should be able to link the communications style with your brand. Social media falls into both communication and presentation. The way you craft your social media posts should be in line with your brand’s communications (copy style).
As for the presentation of your brand, this includes your website, social media, advertising, display and signage. For most businesses, without a shopfront, your website will be the first line of your brand. Most using search engines will come across your brand via your website, so it needs to be designed in line with your brand – the colours, the design and even your website copy. As for advertising, displays and signage they need to do the same as your website (colours, copy etc.) Your social media needs to carry across the same presentation as above. Whilst it’s not as customisable, you can still ensure that your photography and graphics are consistent and on brand.
On the outside of the middle circle, we have the following.
All of these are integral to your business’ branding.
Finally, your brand needs to extend to your public facing fronts. Your offices/premises, your events, your vehicles (sales transport) and even your uniforms. As for staff and verbal communication (with consumers on the phone), they need to be trained with your brand in mind. You should always instil your company’s values into them. As for media, green policies, internal/external policies, charities, community and partners – these make up how your brand is perceived. Being publicly open about the good you do, and the values of your brand is positive. It will be reflected in the media and will put your brand in a good light.
Revive build brands with uniqueness and character. When Revive develop a brand, we work on all of these aspects. If you’d like to discuss branding or rebranding your business, get in touch.
