Having a solid brand helps you build a solid foundation for your business. Having been brand designers for several years now, we see business owners make a lot of common mistakes that could be hurting their businesses and preventing growth. Today, we’ll go over 4 common mistakes.
1. Not Having A Solid Plan
You wouldn’t go on a road trip without knowing your destination, right? The same concept applies to branding. It all starts with a plan. That means figuring out your audience, values, mission, marketing strategy and so much more. A lot of small business owners immediately focus on the visual aspects of their brand, like their logo or website design, but your brand is so much more than that. Branding is the gut feeling customers get when they hear your name, so it’s extremely important to have a solid strategy before you start worrying about design. Trust us, the visual elements will come a lot easier once you have a plan in place.
2. Not Considering Your Audience
Your branding is for your audience, not you. The style that you like might not resonate with your target audience. If your audience is professionals, they might not respond well to casual, fun copy. If your audience skews older, they may not understand a website with tons of animations or tricky navigation. It’s important to research your audience so they have a positive reaction to you.
3. Not Staying Consistent
The colors, fonts and images your use for your branding should stay consistent on all platforms. If you’re using different colors on your Facebook page than you are on your website, your brand may come across as unorganized or confusing. We recommend creating a style guide so you can easily reference this information (We create one for every branding client as part of our package!) and creating multiple logo options for your website, print items and social media. Your brand should be immediately recognizable no matter where a person finds you.
4. Following Trends
It’s really easy to get caught up in design trends and try to emulate what other companies are doing. But often, copying someone else’s style often leads to something that you don’t love and will end up wanting to change 6 months down the road. A design trend that is super popular right now might not be down the road. The best brands are ones that are timeless, simple and authentic.
A well designed brand builds trust. Avoid these branding mistakes by investing in our professional branding and web design packages. Ready to start? Let’s have a chat.
