Regrettably, many businesses neglect the holistic elements of branding, such as their actions, internal culture, and customer engagement. Branding is a complex process that goes beyond just designing a logo or building a website. It’s about creating a unique personality and identity for your business that resonates with your target audience.
In this context, brand expert Jye Smith highlights the importance of developing a comprehensive brand that considers every touchpoint with your customers. From internal culture and values to customer experience, a holistic approach to branding can set your business apart in a crowded market.
“Branding is a fickle business. Many companies think they have it all figured out, only to find themselves in a branding nightmare. Creativity is not a committee meeting, and strategy is about intelligence doing the unexpected,” says Smith.
Thinking your brand is just a logo and a website
“Firstly, businesses often make the mistake of thinking that their brand is just a logo and a website,” says Jye.
“A brand represents a customer’s entire experience with a business, from its values and behaviours to its culture and customer service. A logo and website are just small parts of a business’s overall brand world. Brands need to be developed across every touchpoint – digital, physical, and ethereal – to create a consistent, meaningful customer experience.
Not understanding your competition
“The second mistake that businesses make is needing to understand their competition. By analysing what competitors are doing well and what they are doing badly, a business can create a unique brand identity and positioning that sets them apart from the competition. A strong brand can create a sense of customer preference, leading to increased market share and greater pricing power.
Lacking a single-minded message
“The third mistake needs a single-minded message. In branding, conciseness and clarity are crucial. Customers are bombarded with messages on a daily basis, so it is essential to keep brand messages short, simple, and consistent. This will help build brand recognition and loyalty.”
Not evolving
Businesses often need help to evolve their brand over time. Brands must adapt to market changes and their customers’ needs and preferences. If a brand is not resonating with its audience or a business’s focus has shifted, it is important to make changes to the brand to remain relevant and effective.
By avoiding these common branding mistakes, businesses can build strong, effective brands that resonate with their target audience and drive success.
“We live in a hyper-visual world and are competing for just inches of space on mobile devices. A brand becomes an icon, a flag, a marker of purpose, values and the customer’s identity. Branding is also the visual cue for total customer experience – how we communicate tone through style, look, and feel,” Smith added.
Developing a successful brand requires a combination of art and science and careful planning, research, and execution. The first phase involves defining the brand’s personality, values, and beliefs. This serves as a guide for the rest of the process and helps to determine the right inspiration for the brand.
During the research phase, it’s important to look beyond the category and explore brands from different industries, cultures, and periods. This allows for the identification of effective techniques and unique qualities that can be applied to the brand.
The next step is to identify patterns from the research. This involves analysing common themes and techniques that stand out and determining how they can be adapted to the brand without compromising its individuality.
Finally, when it comes to creating a distinctive brand, Jye advises against playing it safe or following trends. Instead, the focus should be on making the brand truly remarkable and memorable, even if it means ignoring customer feedback or going against the grain.
Jye Smith is the Founder and Managing Director of DOUBLESTAR CO, President of Vibewire, a youth accelerator hub and not-for-profit with a mission to help young people create their futures, Trustee of The Awesome Foundation, and Principal of culture consultancy, You’re Good, Get Better.
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