What is a brand?

Your brand is how you are recognized and distinguished from other companies. It’s made up of visual things like logos, business cards, and graphics, and also many intangible things – like your customer experience and brand promise.

In its simplest form, a brand is the impression your customers have of you or your company. You have a brand whether you intend to or not. It’s up to you to strategically plan how you’d like others to feel about your brand, and then create brand assets that convey this in look, color, messaging, tone, and more.

A clear and consistent brand will make you more recognizable and memorable to customers, which gains you greater visibility (and more clients!).

Why is branding important for your business?

Your branding is important because it tells a story. To quote Simon Sinek’s famous TedTalk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” When people purchase products, not only are they looking for the service that your product provides, but they are looking to identify with you.

Take Apple, for example. If you just need a computer, why buy the most expensive one? You probably wouldn’t, but if you value products that are beautiful, user friendly, and challenge the status quo, then suddenly the choice is clear.

Too many companies lead with what they do and how they do it. But the fact is, that’s not what the consumer cares about. If you instead lead with why, you are focusing on what matters to the consumer. A consumer-centric approach allows you to meet your customer where they are and cater to their wants and needs – which makes the sale easy and natural.

Why should you invest in a brand?

1. Build Credibility – As you build your brand and show people what you stand for, you will attract people who align with those values. This builds credibility and increases the “like, know, and trust” factor people need to have with your company to make a purchase.
2. Attract Your Ideal Customers – Because you have clarity on exactly who your brand serves, you can develop products and services customized to address your customer’s needs. Seeing products and services that clearly resonate with their pain points and exact desires will naturally draw your target audience. 
3. Make Sales Easy – Your brand has already positioned your company for success by showing the unique way you address your customers’ needs. When you make the ask for the sale, your brand has already done most of the work and you can get the easy yes.

Many companies will avoid branding or wait too long to brand because of the time and energy investment, but the payoffs are clear – raging fans and easy sales. If you want to be like the Apples and Nikes of the world, branding should be a central focus of your business.