18 Responses

  1. Steve says:

    What? So buying a premade $50 logo off the Internet isn’t “branding?” Say it isn’t so!

  2. Sarah says:

    All business owners need to know and understand this! If they did it would make my job as a freelance graphic designer a whole lot easier!

  3. Daniel Upton
    Twitter:
    says:

    Great article! How does the content of promotional material (e.g. copy, images) factor in to building and maintaining a brand?

    • Content plays a huge role in brand building. The images you use, the things you say, and most importantly, how you say them all work to influence the audience’s opinion. Every brand should have a “voice”. In other words, the tone and language you use should be consistent at every point of contact, and should be consciously controlled to reinforce the brand message. Likewise, the photos and art you use should reaffirm that same message. It’s all about building familiarity and trust. If your marketing materials have multiple personalities, your audience won’t be able to connect with your message as easily and will have a harder time deciding if they should trust you.
      Shaun Hensher recently posted..The New Heineken LogoMy Profile (dofollow)

  4. Audrey Ross says:

    Consumers recognize some of the giant companies because these companies over the years have established itself as a trusted company. People come to know about us through our brand so we have to be very careful about how we deal our work.

  5. Corrlinks says:

    Thank you for the information in this article because I’ve never really thought about branding before. the “Why is Branding Important?” paragraph of your article really helped me out.
    So I guess I have to restart looking at my branding

    Robert UK
    Corrlinks recently posted..Welcome To Corrlinks EmailMy Profile

  6. Ana | Bounce Rate
    Twitter:
    says:

    There’s another reason building a brand is becoming more and more vital, Shaun – search engines.

    They definitely give preference to brands and tend to rank them higher, all other things equal.
    Ana recently posted..Best Affiliate Marketing Programs that PayMy Profile

  7. John | Start Mission
    Twitter:
    says:

    I find this whole realm of branding and marketing very hard to grasp, and I wonder if it’s because of my technical background as a developer/engineer. How my friends and I buy something is we compare the specs and cost of products. The numbers speak for themselves most of the time. But I’m guessing this is not how most people make purchases.

    I’m curious, does one need to have a very clear marketing strategy before they know how to make effective use of branding?

    Because my team and I don’t know the first thing about marketing, we wouldn’t know how to incorporate branding in to our business?

    • I too take a logical approach to purchasing decisions, when I don’t have an existing brand relationship. Sometimes it doesn’t matter. With commodity products, I typically buy whatever’s cheapest. I don’t really care who packaged my table salt. But other times it makes decision making easy. When I’m buying computer input devices, I usually buy Logitech. Why? Because I trust them. I’ve only ever had good experiences using their products, so I expect that if I buy a Logitech product, it will work for me, so I need not consider the competing products. To keep my loyalty, Logitech only needs to make sure they maintain brand consistency so that I recognize their products on the shelf. If I’m comparing two products that have similar features and similar price points, and one is a brand I’ve never heard of while the other is a brand I’m familiar with, I’ll gravitate to the brand I’m familiar with, even if I have no experience using their product, simply because they have credibility. Even if I’m comparing two brands that I am unfamiliar with, I will gravitate to the one that looks the most trustworthy. I’m sure if you look at the way you buy groceries or electronics, you’ll see similar patterns. Some people buy brands for other reasons as well. Perhaps it’s Gucci, because it’s a status symbol, or Pokemon because all the other kids have it, or Moleskine because it makes them feel ‘artsy’. Proper brand design helps to create these beliefs and elicit these emotions, as well as to build that trust.

      For branding to be effective, you need to know what you’re trying to say, and who you’re trying to say it to. Do you have to have fully fleshed out marketing plan? Maybe not, but the more information you have about who you’re selling to and what their psychographic profiles are like, as well as who your competition is and how you are different, the better a job your brand designer can do.
      Shaun Hensher recently posted..Graphic Design TorontoMy Profile (dofollow)

  8. John | Start Mission
    Twitter:
    says:

    Oh, some other important questions…

    “How important is branding RELATIVE to other aspects of a business?” I know the answer to this question will vary a lot depending on each business. But is this something a business plan will answer?

    All I hear from marketing and designers is that “branding is important”. But my only reaction is, “I still don’t know what it is, so i’m not sure how important it really is.”
    John recently posted..Task CalendarMy Profile

    • I suppose I’m biased, but I think branding is paramount for all businesses. Do you have to spend a pile of money on a full brand identity? Not always, but you definitely have to be conscious of what you are saying to your audience and make sure it is in line with what you are delivering. If you have a bad product, or a product for which there is no market, no amount of branding will save you. On the other hand, if you have an amazing product, brand management can be the difference between doing ‘pretty good’ and becoming a massive success.
      So to answer your question, I think branding is no more and no less important than a good product, a solid marketing plan, or a solid financial plan. Whether you like it or not, you have a brand. Do you want to leave what it develops into entirely to chance? Or do you want to guide it and sculpt it to create the best possible outcome?
      Shaun Hensher recently posted..How to Choose a Graphic DesignerMy Profile (dofollow)

  9. Ella says:

    Building a brand does take time – good point. Yet, if you consider the valuable end result of building a brand and being considered an expert in your field, taking the time and working longer and harder can bring great rewards.

  10. Scott says:

    I was confuse before when I was introduce about branding in SEO before. I was like how come it was associated with SEO. But now I understand it more.

  11. Selda | One Bal Harbour says:

    Thanks for the tips. I like the part “So How do I Build a Strong Brand?” Branding should start with a good name.

  12. robert | assurance auto says:

    The aim of this above article is to show the importance of understaning what does it mean by branding in order to succeed in business.Brand can be defined as the perceptions associated with a company, product, or person.It is partially something under the control of the person or company it represents.branding is any action one takes with the intention of controlling any aspect of a brand.In other ways , we can say that brand is the image of a specific product.Branding is that idea is marketed.But how a strong brand can be ccreated? Firstly,you need to understand your audience, their interests , their needs, and their way of thinking.You have to choose the appropriate materials and shapes of the products.

  13. Kitty Canuck
    Twitter:
    says:

    This is a great explanation of the importance of branding. I know a lot of businesses starting out don’t think about it much, but I think it makes a huge difference in the success of a new business.
    Kitty Canuck recently posted..Help! My Daughter is FAT!My Profile

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