Why Should Businesses not Treat Branding as an Afterthought?

What is branding?

The term branding, by definition, means ‘any and every market practice through which a company establishes a name, story, and symbol that creates an individual identity for easy recognition.’

Branding is the foundation that helps a company develop its name as a distinguishable entity that reflects the products and services being offered. It is necessary because of its uncanny ability to making a long-lasting impression on the target audience and consumers. It lets your customers know what they can expect from you and enables you to present the reason why you are a better choice instead of your competition.

Your brand identity needs to represent you, your goals as a business and also the perception you would like your consumers to have of your company.

Branding is a multilayered arena. It requires you to beat the best of your creativity. The process of developing a unique and recognizable brand requires you to run attractive advertisement campaigns, introduce promotional merchandise that is memorable and also practical. Branding requires you to be on top of your customer service and be a step ahead in maintaining your reputation and keeping the logo pristine. A whole lot of these elements are collectively responsible for the successful creation of an attention-seeking, unique brand.

How branding affects your everyday decisions?

There is no denial that brands rule our everyday life. They dictate the world around us and surround us always.

Products are being marketed to us every minute of the 12 waking hours. Studies have estimated that the human mind is exposed to about thirty-four gigabytes of data every day.

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From the watch on one’s wrist to the bag on the shoulder to the shoes, earphones, and even the cup of beverage in your hand all define which brands have influenced you over time. Every single thing mentioned above has a brand name plastered on it. These brands create connotations in the minds of the viewers. They provide information about the product and also develop perceptions about the wearer in the spirit of the casual observer.

When an individual has their eureka moment of realization about the significant extent brands have overtaken in our lives; reality drops like a pail of cold water on a Sunday afternoon. The influence of branding on perception, interaction, and lifestyle is very sobering.

Whether it’s the seductive scent of J’adore by Christian Dior, coming from the woman beside you on a five-star restaurant or the nifty looking Walmart t-shirt worn by your colleague on Dress Don Friday, these material things tend to create images in our visually receptive minds.

One can imagine a woman living the life of glossy paged magazines in the preceding example and a casual, laid back person in the latter. Did anyone forcefully feed these images in your mind? No. However, the consistent mental conditioning enforced through television, entertainment, books, and social media has collectively ingrained these visuals on our account.

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The millennial creation of social media networks has taken branding a mile ahead by using micro-influencers and social media celebrities to push an individual lifestyle into the everyday lives of gullible people.

What branding does to the ordinary person?

The last couple of sentences may have pushed you to believe that branding has done irreversible damage to the lives of people and the understanding of reality. The fact is, branding is useful and equally compelling. A brand is the carrier of the necessary information about the value of a product and adds value to the experience of a consumer.

Brands let us envision what is worth the hard-earned money and what can wait for a few more days, weeks, months, or years. Branding becomes deadly only when we let it control our minds to the nth degree if we begin to judge people based on a 20 mm logo stamped on the packaging, eCommerce store, and the product!

What branding does for your business?

Recognition

The primary reason why branding is crucial to any business, regardless of size and age is the recognition it garners. It lets consumers know about your business. These are where a professional logo design becomes your Rosetta stone. The logo plays an essential role since it is the face of your entire brand. You are suggested to hire a team of professionals to create a simple, practical, and easy to spot logo that is powerful and practical. The logo would create the first impression and would gain a prominent spot on your merchandise, products, packaging, brochures, and what not!

Adds Value

A robust brand image is necessary for companies in the long run. It helps businesses generate business in the future. Strong establishment of a brand helps the company leverage the market in its favor. It adds to the investment appeal and creates more opportunities for growth and mergers in the market place.

New Customers

Ideally, a good brand has no difficulty in getting referrals from loyal customers. A sharp brand image would create an overall positive impression of the business among consumers and strengthen loyalty by repeat orders and sales. Familiarity established through creating a sense of dependability develops trust. Once a company succeeds in establishing the desired perception, word of mouth will become the best form of advertising!

Takeaway

In all honesty, branding is everything in the fast-paced lives of the 21st century. It goes beyond being a memorable print or logo. Great branding helps in increasing the financial value of a company, motivates employees, and gives them a sense of direction and loyalty for your company. The better the brand image you create, the easier it gets for you to find new customers.

Businesses need to keep it in mind that a brand is the combination of the company’s reputation, advertisement, logo, and also the consumer’s perception of your product and service. It is easy to remember a high quality of customer service and also remember the ill feelings towards a company that failed to satisfy the consumer.

Remember that the consumer is kind and is always watching like the eye of Horus! Any delinquency on your part could lead to your loss.