Branding: A Waste of Time or Customer Magnet?

Is Branding A Waste of Everyone’s Time or is it The Best Way to Gain Customers? Keep Reading to Find Out.

Photo by Marcus Herzberg from Pexels

Today, it’s almost like everything is about branding. Wherever we look, we see colorful logos, catchy mottos, and ambitious promises. Every business strives to be unique, but in such an overabundance of uniqueness, you may be wondering whether it’s still possible to stand out. Is branding worth all the money, time, and effort it takes, or should you focus on other aspects of business? If your service is flawless, there’s no reason why customers shouldn’t flock to you, right? Well, the matter is a bit more complicated than that. Branding is more than just coming up with a name and a logo. Viewing it in such a superficial way is what might cause your efforts to be futile in making an impact. If you’re unsure about how all this works, here’s branding in a nutshell.

What is branding?

As we just said, branding is far more than just your visual identity, though that part plays an important role in the complex mechanism that is your brand, too. Branding is usually defined as your efforts at creating the desired perception of your business in the eyes of the public. By branding, you aim for a strong presence in your customers’ minds, and for that presence to reflect what your business stands for. Purely the sight or the mention of your brand should create reactions, associations, and expectations if branding is executed effectively. 

Your brand is made up of several elements that should create a cohesive whole. The visual aspect of your brand will manifest in your brand name, your brand colors, your logo, your website design, your packaging, your typography, the design of your promotional materials, and so on. Beyond that, on a more abstract level, your brand is also made up of non-visual elements. Your business’ mission and your brand values, your story, and your vision—these might not be as much in your customers’ face as your logo, but they are vital for a strong brand to grow and develop in the right direction. 

Why is branding so important?

The reason why you need to work so hard to create a cohesive brand is not simply for a flawless image. Branding will ultimately affect your bottom line in multiple ways. Here are a few notable benefits of putting in the elbow grease.

Boosting brand recognition and awareness

The first and most straightforward benefit of proper branding is brand recognition. Let’s face it, the competition is ruthless today. A well-constructed brand will allow your business to linger in your customers’ minds and set you apart from all the other businesses doing the same thing. Think about what makes your business different and emphasize it in your branding. Consistent branding across all channels will also contribute to better brand awareness. No matter where or how your prospective customers will encounter your brand, the consistency will reinforce their perception of you and improve the chances that they will remember you. Needless to say, this will also boost word-of-mouth and acquire new customers.

Creating expectations 

Effective branding will not only mean recognition; it will also mean expectations. Based on your promises and the values you advertise your brand to be associated with, customers will have certain expectations of you when they turn to you for business. If your branding is not consistent, these expectations will be vague, too. Ultimately, it’s difficult to deliver on your promise if you are not entirely sure what that promise is. A strong brand, on the other hand, will draw like-minded people. Customers will know what to expect from you which makes them more likely to do business with you. Make sure you meet their expectations and you’ll be strengthening your brand every day.

Building trust and loyalty in customers

Customer retention is paramount, no matter what kind of business we are talking about. You can hardly expect your customers to come back if you fail to make a memorable impression and they forget about your business’s name as soon as they step out of your store. Branding is what will make a huge difference here. As we mentioned, customers will have certain expectations of your brand. If you manage to keep delivering on your promise, customers will develop trust in your business, and trust will soon grow into loyalty. You get to foster positive relationships with your customers and create a strong bond. Building an army of brand ambassadors in this organic way will ensure your business’s longevity. 

Evoking associations and emotions

With conscious branding efforts, you have the power to influence what your brand is associated with immediately upon encounter. Simply put, you are in control of how people experience your brand. Telling them your story and your mission, and showing them your “human” side will evoke some kind of emotions. While this is certainly not an instant effect, you can influence how your customers feel when they see your products, or even just your name and logo. Work on associating your brand with positive emotions and being the solution to problems.

Aiding marketing

Marketing plays a vital role in keeping your business profitable. Without a defined brand, though marketing is all but easy. What an even bigger problem is, without a defined brand, all your money invested in marketing may as well go down the drain since your efforts will be ineffective. Knowing exactly what your brand stands for, on the other hand, makes marketing much more effective and cost-efficient. Ideally, every single marketing move contributes to your branding. Branding aids marketing, and in turn, marketing will further aid branding, too.

Improving employee morale

Last but not least, effective branding might ultimately affect the inner workings of your business as well. A strong identity is empowering. This is also true for brands. If employees can be proud of the brand they are working for, their morale will improve: they will bring their A-game to work and stand behind your business. Their general attitude towards your business will also be affected. The way your employees behave can hugely affect how people perceive your business, so this is not something that should be neglected. A strong brand identity will fill them with a sense of belonging and turn them into brand ambassadors themselves.

Today, customers are looking for more than just a product: they are looking for an experience, a connection. Weak or non-existent branding cannot satisfy these needs and will sooner or later get lost in the sea of competition. While branding in itself may not be what gains you customers, the results you achieve with branding certainly are.