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An article by Albert Salim (Brand Strategist/ Graphic Designer)
Branding makes it easy for your Business shift from Traditional Business practice to an Online Based Business.
There are hundreds of thousands of businesses out there but only a handful of them successfully develop a strong brand. My daily job is to practice and observe how a good Brand can benefit both Big and Small Businesses.I specialise in solving business problems through Design Thinking, and a huge part of that manifests in Branding.
Whether it is full time or a side hustle, a well-thought business model will produce long-term advantages which allow the business to last longer in the marketplace. One of the way I know how this can be achieved is through good Branding. From my own experience, people love a brand that is easy to remember especially the one that speaks to them. Research shows that it is very important for customers to have a positive first impression of a Brand as it benefits the business over a long period of time compared to those with no strong Branding in mind.
2020 has been a year full of challenges, Covid-19 have made millions of people walked out from their jobs, thousands of businesses closed and destabilised the economy in an unprecedented place in the history. Since then, even more people search to future-proof their business. If you are a business owner today, whether just starting up or been around for longer but didn’t have time to build your Brand profile online, going Digital is probably the best decision you will make.
Here are 5 best practices and tips on how to start a good Brand, I hope they can make your Business migration to the Digital arena easier:
1. The Perfect Logo. Your logo is the most important Branding investment you can make. If you are wondering why Giant companies like Nike, McDonalds, or Coca Cola succeed, that is because they position their Brand correctly in the Market, investing in the right logo is like having a “face” or “symbol” that communicates your message efficiently. It is a crucial part of your company’s Brand.
2. Actively Engage with your Audience. Timeless Brand embrace technology advances so always aim for a long-term relationship with your customers. The internet is at your fingertips, it is so easy to reach out and connect to your customers and what’s amazing about Social Media platforms is people are more likely to discover your Business faster than your competitors.
3. Have one strong message and be creative. It allows your business to speak for itself. Through the right messaging and Brand Positioning, your business will attract your target audience better. Having a consistent and refined message saves you a lot of headaches caused by bad reviews and wrong expectations from your customers. For example : Nike’s “Just do It” inspired millions and have generated multibillion-dollar campaigns by just using one line, another example would be Coca Cola’s “Open Happiness” and Apple’s “Crazy Ones” campaign.
4. Hire the right person to Stand Out and save time, and money. Traditional Businesses are very expensive to set up, and it also takes more time to build momentum compared to an Online Based Business Model. Having a clear roadmap and demographics allow your Business to stand out and easy to recognise. Having the right Designer to accompany your Business adventure shouldn’t be taken lightly as they are the ones who should understand your businesses as well as you.
5. Final tip, think of your Brand as a person. When you meet a new person, you would expect him/her to have a distinctive personality as well as remembering them when they express themselves. Always remember, we are selling to humans, which means it is good to take into account the overall experience and the “personality” of our Brand. This tip ties together all of the four points above. We want to be memorable, so it is important to have clarity when introducing ourself to somebody.
Go Global
All businesses start small, and I admire the people who are just so focused on perfecting their craft and products. Throughout the history we’ve read books, biography and watch documentaries of those who have cracked the code. There are a few things in common, the first thing is Discipline, they developed the right products for the right people at the right time, and what comes after a perfect product/service, is Branding.
As a customer you would want to get exactly what you are looking at, unfortunately sometimes, businesses don’t practice and position themselves very well. Good branding allows local Brands to scale through a consistent Brand Identity. With the power of the Internet, people have more access to information than ever. It is a crucial element for Global Business to have strong Brand positioning, as it represents the company’s message, value, vision and mission. From the choosing of the Name, and all the way to the Customer Experience of the company, every single aspect of the business should flow out of it’s Brand Identity.
So why Brand?
It is less expensive (very low start-up cost), highly scaleable, more sustainable during a pandemic, it can be automated, has wider audience and reach to your potential customers as well as connecting to your loyal customers. All the benefits mentioned was only scratching the surface, you can find hundreds of business owners who said that moving online is one of their best decision as a result of different kinds of reasons.
Thanks for reading this article, I hope it has provided some value to you, and if you wish to get in touch with me. You can find me in my Social Media channels.
See you there.
