Have you ever been drawn to a certain food item because of the colour of its packaging? Perhaps a nice-looking logo meant that you spent time looking into a particular company and what it offered? As humans, we’re naturally intrigued by items and experiences that we find attractive, often making decisions that reflect our likes and dislikes – whatever that means to us personally.

Research has even found that we typically interact with brands in a similar way to how we interact with people. Smart brand managers are aware of this too – using adverts and designs that they know their target audience will relate to feelings of happiness or even a desired lifestyle.

Branding goes much further than just looking nice though. In fact, with the right strategy behind it, it can affect consumer behaviour in more ways than one. Here, we reveal how.

1. It strengthens your brand perception

When we talk about brand perception, we’re talking about what your target audience thinks of your brand and business. Before anyone decides to invest in you, they want to know that they can trust you and branding is a sure-fire way to support this and boost the status of your business at the same time. After all, the logo and branding you choose says so much about your business. It communicates your personality, values and even the service offering. Let’s take Apple. The Apple logo is associated with quality, prestige, and credibility. Of course, that hasn’t happened overnight but now people are willing to pay more simply because it has an Apple logo on it. This leads us nicely onto our next point.

1. It boosts trust and loyalty

Consistent branding and design can ensure your customers pay attention to and remember your name. And, as attention grows so will your brand loyalty. Think of it like planting a seed. Over time, with branding that taps into your ideal customer’s likes and pain points, your brand is more likely to be front and centre. With that nailed, you can say hello to consistent growth and sales too.

1. It inspires purchasing decisions

As a business owner, you’ll likely do anything to get more sales and your branding has a huge impact on this. But it’s not just a case of using attractive design – although that is important. The purchasing decision begins much earlier than the moment a consumer walks into a shop or clicks onto a website. It begins when they realise they have a problem and are looking for a solution. Consumers typically have two options – they can either do business with a well-established brand that they know about, or they can look for alternatives. While big-name brands might have a clear advantage, it doesn’t mean that smaller and lesser-known brands don’t have a chance. However, just like bigger brands across the globe, you need to use branding and design to ensure that your target audience knows exactly who you are, what you do and which problem you can solve.

Key takeaways

In the Business Dictionary, branding is defined as a design “that identities a product and differentiates it from its competitors [and that] over time, this image becomes associated with a level of credibility, quality and satisfaction in the consumer’s mind.” So, it’s clear that branding is an essential part of building customer loyalty and, indeed, sales.

But how do you nail your branding? Research tells us that we should be focusing on branding that aligns with consumer values as well as the perception of attraction. When it’s done right, it can result in improved loyalty, bigger sales, more cash flow as well as a trusted brand image that consumers come back for – time and time again. Put simply, branding should be part of every business’ long-term growth strategy.

Don’t worry if you need a little helping hand when it comes to your branding as that’s exactly what Fox Graphics Designs have been doing for 15 years. Why not get in touch at studio@foxgraphicsdesign.com or call us on 01625 468038 to see how we could help you?