The 10 Branding Commandments I See Small Businesses Break
Branding is not an easy task. It requires a lot of effort and time on your part. In order to achieve the best results, you need to follow certain rules that will help you build your brand in a way that will be beneficial for your company as well as for yourself. Here are the top 10 mistakes I see happen with my clients before we start working together.
1. Thou shall not skimp on the logo
A logo is like your business card: It should be bold and memorable so that people remember it and can identify it with your brand. Make sure to keep it consistent across all of your channels — and don’t use it for everything (think about how many companies use their logos as links or in social media bios). Also, avoid changing your logo just because you want to make a big deal out of something new — it should still make sense when people see it by itself, without any context around it. Finally, save some money by not using the same picture in different places; this usually doesn’t work well because viewers will get confused about what’s being advertised or promoted.
2. Thou shall not be intentional with branding
Branding is a critical piece of any business, but it’s important that you focus on what makes your company unique and different from competitors in the marketplace. The more different you are, the more likely people will want to do business with you. Take some time to think through all of these areas:
Why is your company better than everyone else?
Think about what sets you apart from other businesses in your industry.
What problem do they solve that yours solves better?
Are there features or services they don’t offer?
Is their pricing higher than yours?
Can they provide proof of success stories or testimonials from customers who have been happy with their experience working with them?
If so, what’s their process for getting those testimonials (and why does it work)?
Do some research into the key advantages that make up your value proposition so that when someone asks why should I buy from this company instead of another one like it (or even better), there are specific reasons why they should choose this one over all others — and those reasons should be backed up by data points or anecdotes which illustrate how great those advantages actually are!
3. Thou shall not launch a brand without efficient research or strategy.
We’re talking data, baby! The right type of research can help you build a better brand by providing valuable insights into your target audience and what they want from your brand. It also lets you know how to differentiate yourself in the market and gives you ideas on how to position your business as an expert in its field while also communicating its purpose and mission effectively.
If you don’t have time for all that, then just answer these three questions:
What do my customers like?
Where do they hang out online?
And why would they buy my stuff?
Then click this link to schedule a chat with me and I’ll take it from there.
4. Thou shall not constantly change the brand direction
You should never, ever change your brand direction without a plan. This is a cardinal sin, and I’m not going to sugarcoat it: changing the course of your brand for no reason is the fastest way to get lost in the woods and leave money on the table.
If you don’t have a good reason for making a change, then don’t make one! Change for change’s sake can be harmful and confusing for your customers (and employees), so resist the urge. Instead of trying to reinvent yourself every few months or years — or even worse, as soon as something blows up in your face — take time to evaluate what needs fixing before you fix anything at all.
5. Thou shall not be hands-off during the branding process
You’ll want to actively participate in the branding process, and here are some ways to do that. Speak honestly about your brand. A brand is a promise, a promise that your company will deliver on its product or service. You need to take this seriously and be aware of what you’re promising because people will hold you accountable for it if they feel like it hasn’t been delivered.
If you don’t know what exactly the promise is yet, then ask yourself:
What does my customer expect from me?
What do I want them to think about when they hear about my business?
How can I clarify this so that everyone understands what we’re doing — and why?
Recognize the importance of consistency across all channels (including voice).
The goal is for each channel (web site design; social media profiles; advertising) to reflect the same thing — a consistent brand message.
6. Though shall not ignore social media
Though you may be selling a product or service, it’s important to remember that your brand is also positioning itself as an expert in solving the problem associated with that product or service. You need to know what problems you are solving and how you can solve them better than anyone else out there. You need to understand who your audience is and why they would want what you’re offering them.
“Don’t ignore your brand in social channels and other avenues where people connect with you online and off.” -Ask TPJ-The Purpose Doula
You should have a presence on all major social media platforms, as well as any sites or apps that are relevant to your business or industry. You’ll want to use these outlets to engage with customers, get feedback from and them, help them learn more about what you do and how they can benefit from doing business with you. Social media is also an excellent way to increase brand awareness by getting the word out about new products or services (and driving traffic back to your site).
7. Though shall not be a Jack/Jane of all trades
Don’t be afraid to spend money on your brand, especially if you’re a startup looking to grow quickly. Hiring an expert is always the more cost-effective route than doing it yourself, and there’s no better way to ensure that your branding will be effective than by hiring someone who has done this kind of work before. The benefit is that it’s tax deductible as a business expense.
As they say: time is money! If you choose to go down the DIY path, expect it to take weeks or months before you have any semblance of a brand identity with which to attract customers and investors. In addition, these types of projects are rarely ever perfect — the one thing I’ve learned from being a designer for over ten years is that when you pay an expert to do what is outside of your zone of genius, it frees you up to make more money doing the things you’re great at doing!
The best brands in the world were created by teams who had years of experience under their belts; without this knowledge base at their fingertips, even great ideas tend to fall short somewhere along the way when implemented without proper planning or execution.
8. Thou shall not avoid spell check
If your content is riddled with misspellings and grammatical errors, your audience will immediately associate you with that level of quality. When someone discovers that the company they’re interested in working with has these issues, they likely won’t want to work with them at all — and if they do choose to work with said company, they’ll probably only do so because they’re desperate enough not to care how much their work suffers as a result. When all else fails, read the text aloud to help you catch those basic grammatical and spelling errors.
9. Thou shall not work without a brand kit
Time and time again I work with a client on a project and I ask them if they have a specific font they use for their brand and they say, “no!” Having an aesthetic flyer and Instagram page is cool, but in order to have a consistent brand, you need a brand kit. I lovingly call it my Brand Bible, because it helps me guide my employees and contractors while staying consistent with the branding. I ensure all of my clients leave with a Brand Bible to ensure the quality of work is consistent. A brand kit is a collection of documents and other resources that you can use to help you manage your brand. Your kit should include information to help you manage your brands such as logos, hex codes, colors, fonts, etc. Your brand kit should also include things like a style guide and your mission statement and values statement to ensure the brand is consistent even when outsourcing the work.
10. Case Study: Thou shall not make a branding mistake like the Gap
The Gap, which most people remember as a go-to place for basic crew necks, khakis and jeans in the 90s and early 2000s, tried to rebrand itself in 2010. The company replaced the old logo — which featured a blue square with yellow text — with a new one: A blue square with white text.
It was meant to be cleaner and more modern; it was supposed to be more versatile; it was meant to be more inclusive. But none of these things happened because this sudden change completely failed on all fronts: It didn’t make sense; people didn’t recognize it as being associated with The Gap anymore; they hated it so much that they started making fun of how bad it was (YouTube videos like this exist).
The whole launch ended up costing them around $100 million dollars because they had to spend money on rebranding their stores when all they really needed was some paint.
The result of these branding mistakes can be disastrous for a company. Take the Gap, for example. They launched a new logo without doing any research or strategy and it was met with harsh criticism from customers and employees alike. Soon after that, they switched back to their original logo but now face the challenge of rebuilding trust with their audience.
Now that we know the top 10 rules people break…which commandments are you violating? Comment below!
About the Author
Hello, I’m Tricia J. You may know me as Ask TPJ I help build businesses, brands, and people! I am the lead project manager and podcast host at Mogul Mom Mindset. I started making websites for friends and fixing their social media presence in 2013, and never lost interest in building online sites and brands for up-and-coming CEOs. I have an amazing boss (me!) and I’m unapologetic when it comes to teaching women how to build successful businesses around their family life. I am a lover of good music, interior design, and I’m constantly searching for the best brunch every time I travel. Some day I’ll tell you about the time when, as a corporate employee, I grew and strengthened a corporate account from $40 million during a 12-month contract by creating new systems and building external relationships for an international media conglomerate. For more information about The Purpose Doula, visit my website: www.asktpj.com .
