Oops!…You Did It Again: Common Branding Mistakes Business Owners Make
When it comes to your brand, there are many mistakes you can make. As a business owner, if you find yourself reading these and feeling like they apply to you…and you’re having an existential crisis about it – don’t worry! We’re also going to give you some tips on how to fix them!
📝 You Don’t Have Brand Guidelines
This is a very important mishap, considering a lot of strategic planning is needed to ensure your brand is moving forward with a clear vision. Your brand guidelines could include your logo, color palette, mission, tagline, etc. Before you move forward, it’s important to start from the beginning and create an identity for your brand, because once you have a solid plan, it will be easier to alter going forward. Here are a few questions to consider:
What is your mission?
What are your values?
What does your brand voice sound like?
Who is your target audience?
📱You Don’t Know Who Your Target Audience Is
An important part of promoting your brand is knowing who you’re talking to, who’s buying your product or service and who’s interacting with your content. If you don’t know the answer to any of those, your brand plan may be for naught since it’s not getting through to the right people.
Like the saying, “give the people what they want,” listen to your audience and understand what content they are most interacting with, what comments or reviews they are writing, and craft your content around this information. Make sure your team takes the time to research who your audience is so you can better cater to their needs.
✍️ You Don’t Think A Logo Is That Important
First impressions matter. Your logo is often the first impression your brand leaves while someone is scrolling through social media. Just like other business decisions, deciding on a logo is a crucial part of your brand identity and should be thoughtfully designed, not created through a logo maker (we said what we said). If you’re not happy with your current logo or you don’t think it reflects who your business is, it’s time for a redesign! We’ll be over here 😉
📣 You Don't Have A Consistent Brand Voice
There are many platforms to interact with your audience on and it’s important to keep your brand voice consistent and aligned with your mission. You want to sound like one voice when you're posting on LinkedIn, sending out a newsletter or responding to DMs. Even if different members of your team are talking you don’t want it to sound that way. Decide on whether your tone will be lighthearted or serious, professional or casual, etc. Having consistent language for your brand will not only create recognition, but will also create trust between you and your audience!
Check out our last blog, We’re With The B(r)and: The Importance of Investing In Brand Design to learn more about the importance of elevating your brand. Our Branding Team is ready to serve 💅 when you are!