Brand Froundry

This month I’ve added a new short feature culled from the ‘Resources’ section of our website. If you haven’t visited recently, this is a section of our web page that offers suggested reading material for use in understanding and developing your brand. I’ve received questions as to what some of the titles there have to do with branding. I admit, some of them may seem a bit “off-topic”, so I decided to offer a short outline of the book and it’s pertinence (as I see it, anyway) to the science and philosophy of branding.

This month also features Part 2 of our three-part series on branding myths. Branding your business has a cost associated with it. Only you can decide if you’re willing to pay the price.

All the best,

J.

Three Brand Myths that will Bring Your Business Down – Part 2

By Erin Ferree & J. Looney

“Brand identity” is the combination of consistent visual elements that are used in your marketing materials. A basic brand identity kit consists of a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope. It can be extended to include a Web site, brochure, folder, flyer, or any other professionally designed pieces.

Having a brand identity is extremely important to your business’s success. However, many business owners have misconceptions about brand identities that can damage their businesses.

Myth 2: Designing a custom Brand Identity is too expensive

It’s true that there is a cost associated with developing a brand for your company. Depending on your financial resources and personal views, you may consider it to be “expensive.” But it may be even more expensive if you do not have a high-quality, custom brand identity professionally designed. There are many effects that will harm your business, including the possibility that your clients will not respect you or take you seriously, among others.

The truth is, a strong brand pays for itself. Consider the number of new clients that you will gain over the course of your lifespan because of the equity that your brand identity creates. Looking at the “big picture”, your logo and brand identity design package easily pay for themselves when compared to the number of clients you bring in as a result. When you have a top-notch brand identity, new customers will contact you because they remember your logo, have held on to your business card, or are impressed by your brochure. And it’s been my experience that many more clients than you may imagine will contact you, and your business will grow and flourish from the (relatively) small initial investment in the brand identity.

Consider also that a brand identity is a sustainable expense. Once you have had a timeless logo and set of marketing materials designed, you can use them for years to come. And, once you have a strong logo, font selection, color palette and stylesheet, creating consistent, targeted marketing pieces and programs is an easy addition to your existing efforts.

Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
This book is one of my personal favorites. Although it’s over 1,200 pages, it is well worht the effort and extremely rewarding and insightful. There are a plethora of messages and ideals that can be had in it’s reading, but my experience of this work is that it’s a study of brands, both personal and corporate.

Each character that is introduced is defined clearly and immediately by their brand. The exciting part for me is that even when a character or corporation in the book seems to be acting contradictory to their established brand, it eventually becomes clear that the actions were motivated on a very deep emotional level by the brand itself, and the results clearly support the brand’s purpose.

There are any number of lessons about branding that can be gleaned from this truly amazing piece of work. The primary lesson I always return to is as simple as the art of branding itself. In the words of the author, “There’s nothing of any importance except how well you do your work.”

Tell us which title you’d like to see reviewed next month! CLICK HERE NOW!