Many business people have a difficult time understanding the distinction between a brand and a logo. They feel that if the logo is on all of their products, paperwork, business cards, and their building that they have established a brand. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and because many do not fully understand this concept it is quite likely that they are missing out on some very profitable opportunities.
While a logo is an easily recognizable design that may or may not include the company’s name, symbol, and trademark it is merely the visual representation of the company’s message and position in the commercial world. A well-designed logo can communicate your brand’s message to the consumer. However, it is not a brand. According to Bourn Creative,
“A brand encompasses the positioning, the messaging and communications, the visual design, the target market, the voice, the marketing and promotions, the presence, and the experience any individual has with the business, product or service online, offline, or in person.”
In short, a brand represents every interaction the company may have with the outside world. It is a communication strategy that allows your business to share your passion and experience with the community. It represents who you really are, what you do, and your reasons for doing it.
Once a business appreciates the importance of a strong branding they are better prepared to take the next step in communicating this information to the public.
The Audit
One of the first things that must be done to establish a recognizable brand is to determine the public’s view of your organization at the start. Start by evaluating your company’s strengths and weaknesses and identify problem areas that may need to be restructured. As you do your analysis it is important for you to determine which areas need to be revamped completely, adjusted somewhat, and those that are strong enough to keep in place.
A successful branding should be developed from both the internal and external approaches in order to be effective. This is clearly explained by The Ignition Consulting Group,
“It is based on the point of view that successful brands are built from the inside out. While conventional branding research look mostly at one audience – consumers – a complete brand audit assesses relationships with all of the important stakeholders of the brand, including both internal and external audiences.”
Once you’ve completed your brand audit you need to evaluate its mission.
Decide on The Mission of the Brand
Next, you’ll want to decide on the brand’s promise. This is what your company will promise to the people it will be interacting with. People develop respect for a brand when it delivers on the promises made. Because of this it is important to have a clear-cut vision of those commitments and how they will act on them.
To decide on the Brand Promise, consider the value of the company to its customers and to its competition. You may also need to consider the values and beliefs that will be used to support that brand. It is important that you fully understand the message you want to deliver in your brand and delivering on your promise is the key to high brand recognition. You don’t want to promise more than you can deliver and you don’t want to undervalue your business either. These things take some very careful consideration, so don’t rush through this process.
Once you’ve collected all of your information, make sure that everyone in the company is willing to get behind the promises you make. Everyone should be in full support in order for the branding to be successful.
After the vision is complete, it is only then that you will work to design your logo. Your logo is a visual symbol of everything you want to communicate.
The Final Step
Choose all of the essential elements that will go into presenting your brand to the outside world. In addition to the logo, these elements could include the colors, fonts, and backgrounds among many other things. Make sure that everyone is aware of what your logo represents and knows how to present it to the public in an approved manner.
Creating a brand is not easy! It involves careful introspection of every part of your company, its values and its attributes. But if you persist in branding the right way you’ll find results as pointed out in Frog-Dog.com,
“Companies that have clearly defined brand promises and values and attributes have strong frameworks for decision making, and using these frameworks helps develop the brand’s strength and worth to the organization.”
It may be difficult but the rewards are well worth the hard work you’ll put into it.
If you’re company or brand expert who has put in this hard work to build a brand, comment below on what some of your biggest hurdles were.
We’d love to hear from you.
