1.           Not recognising the importance of branding 

Without a branding strategy in place, you’re basically selling a product or service without knowing exactly who your business is. This then has an impact on your communication, customer experience, brand recognition and profitability. 

When I speak to business owners about why their branding has been put on the back burner, they tell me it’s because they’re more focused on sales, overheads, business development and acquisition. What they don’t realise is that if they spent some time on branding, the rest would fall into place. 

2.              Going without brand guidelines

Brand consistency could increase your revenue by up to 33%. But how are you meant to do this if you don’t have your very own brand bible? Not only are brand guidelines essential for firming up your branding but it’s also great when you do choose to expand your team or outsource any work.  

Think about your logo usage, tone, writing style, colour schemes, imagery and typography. Once done, you’ll find it easier to coordinate your branding on all platforms, and ensure it’s consistent. This in turn does wonders for your brand credibility and awareness. 

3.              Overcomplicating your message 

Let’s take some of the most well-known brands in the world – Coca-Cola and Nike. What do they have in common? Their branding is simple and to the point. It works well and they haven’t needed to change it over the years. 

While it can be tempting to add more colour and use different messaging for different platforms, in reality, what works is clean and memorable elements. You want your brand to be recognised and remembered – not confusing. 

This doesn’t mean you should use generic symbols and language like ‘award-winning’ and ‘bestselling’. This doesn’t tell potential customers anything. While this is probably one of the trickiest parts of branding, when done well it has serious oomph. 

4.              Rebranding without a purpose 

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with rebranding, but you need to know why you’re doing it – and communicate this with your customers. I’ve seen plenty of businesses bring out a new logo, theme and messaging, only to be met with confusion. 

Educate your customers on why the changes are being made. Is it because your service offering is adapting? Perhaps you want to keep pace with the modernising world? Whatever it is, keep everyone updated and involve them at every opportunity along the way. 

           Looking to create a positive, consistent and effective brand? Whatever size business, I can help. In fact, I have a few simple tactics forgetting your brand identity and messaging on point. Simply drop me an email at studio@foxgraphicsdesign.com or call me on 01625 468038.