4 sure-fire signs your business needs better branding
Knowing where to spend limited resources on an early stage business can be a tricky and confusing. My goal for this blog post is to make it easy for you to decide whether branding should be on that priority list or not.
First things first, if you're doing any kind of external communications to a potential customer group (via a website, social media, email, ads etc.), your communications are making that group form a perception about your business.
TRUTH BOMB: This is your brand - whether you have consciously created a brand identity or not. You are already 'branding' your business.
The question is, how do you know that the time and effort required to create an intentional, cohesive brand identity is worth the rewards?
Signs that you need branding to fuel your business...
🏁 SIGN 1 — You needed to start attracting the ‘right’ customers yesterday
You're not getting your target customers through the digital door. And the ones that are showing up aren't the right fit for your product or service.
Having a cohesive brand identity that is strategically created to appeal to the right target audience will help in attracting them and repelling others.
🏁 SIGN 2 — Your current communications do not match up with your vision
You have a vision in your head for how you want to portray your brand and reputation. But what you've currently got is just not meeting the mark.
By stepping back and taking a strategic look at your brand and then creating the brand identity, you'll have a logo, colours, tone and personality that all work together to execute on your vision.
🏁 SIGN 3 — You're getting lost in a sea of competitors
With more businesses launching and products on the market, it can be hard to stand out in online business.
Lots of founders end up trying to align their branding with more established companies in their industry because they see them as successful brands. But this is how you end up in a sea of sameness.
If you look the same as everyone else and/or don't stand out at all, a cohesive brand identity aligned to your unique brand personality is absolutely key in differentiating your offer from the existing options.
🏁 SIGN 4 — You're not being taken seriously as a professional, legit business
If your current website looks amateur or a bit messy, it will be harder to build trust with potential customers and potential partners in your industry.
You're ready for cohesive branding if you want to start building credibility as a professional, legit business.
3 signs you're not quite ready to focus on branding...
I always want to share both signs of the coin. If you're still in the very beginning stages, branding may not be the best area for you to focus.
Here are 3 signs you're not quite ready yet...
🚩 You don't have a business idea yet.
🚩 You don't have any idea who your target audience is.
🚩 You don't plan on using digital channels or marketing collateral to promote your business.
