First things first, what is BRANDING?
Definition: BRANDING – a particular product or a characteristic that serves to identify a specific product, a trade name or trademark, or a particular kind or variety.
Let’s break it down a bit farther to make it a little easier. The act of branding is the process involved in creating a unique name or image for a product, person or idea. Most people and companies accomplish branding through advertising and other similar means. It is also the action of building a convincing individual or unique presence in a consumer market that attracts and retains loyal customers.
There are two types of branding: personal and corporate.
Personal branding is the process of individual marketing, or advertising, themselves or their career as a unique image, or brand. It is in effect the ongoing practice of building up an image or uniqueness about themselves to others around them. A personal brand often involves the use of someone’s name on various marketing products.
Thomas Peters, an American writer on business management practices, said, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding.”
Corporate branding is the process of promoting the logo and brand name of a company or corporation for marketing and advertising purposes. Typically the range of a corporate brand is extensive and is a way to express the company’s ideals and goals.
Whether personal or corporate, a brand is essential to anyone who wants to stand out from those around them. Corporations typically have a logo designed while individuals must promote their names as a logo.
Your brand is how people perceive you wherever they interact with your business, both the impressions you can control and the ones you can’t.
When you think about it, people have brands too. We each have a name, a face, a style, a way of communicating, different impressions we make on different people, and what they say about us when we’re not in the room.
Likewise, businesses have names, products, logos, colors, fonts, a language, and reputations to manage that make up who they are and affect how they’re perceived.
You can’t build a brand without being consistent and maintaining that consistency as you extend your brand to every part of your business. But it all starts with establishing what that consistency is going to look like and the feeling you want it to evoke.
Branding Your Business
Your company’s brand is what you are, what you want to be and what you aim to become. This brand can be a promise of product quality or trust in a service. Remember, a brand is what makes your company unique. Your branding should make your company stand out from all of your competition. It should let your consumers know what they should expect from your products or services.
So, in layman’s terms, corporate branding is the process of promoting the logo and name of a company for marketing and advertising purposes. Branding helps to expand a business and get the word out about the company’s goal.
Branding is the most important part of your business, whether it be large or small. Building a strong brand helps your company not only be financially stable, but memorable. And, by being memorable, your brand will draw in more and more customers just by word of mouth.
Starting With the Right Tools
Name tags and name badges provide necessary company branding. This branding is vital for all of your marketing needs. It distinguishes you from your competition and helps others to recognize your quality more readily. By using logos on name tags, you create a focus to help drive your business.
But, don’t limit yourself to just your name tags. Don’t forget that signage and other identification products are there to help advertise your brand. From custom lanyards to award plaques and everything in between, get it personalized with your logo! And then start spreading the word.
Your logo represents not only you and your company but also your brand and overall commitment to your clients and customers. And creating consistency by adding your logo to everything you personalize (from name tags to corporate gifts), lets people know you’re proud of what you stand for.
Consistency in logo use will make your brand an industry leader.
From colors to logos, consistency matters. So, using name tags, name badges and other personal identification items will establish your brand. And finding the right consistency with logos, colors and fonts helps to solidify your message. By defining what your brand is up front, you help establish your company as an industry leader. And making sure that your logo balances your brand at the top can be quite the process.
Oh, and make sure to use the same colors for all of your logo work. Find a way to keep your logo and text the same on all name tags and name plates. If your office uses signage, make sure to include the proper colors and consistency. A company who ensures that their brand is well developed will retain and obtain connections with their clients and customers.
Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.
