We’ve talked before about what branding is, and how it can include:

• Your mission
• Your values
• Your tone
• Your customer experience
• Your events
• Your reputation
• Your designed elements like logo, fonts and colors

Notice how that list didn’t start with logo and colors? Branding encompasses so much more than the visual experience you provide for your target market. It goes to the very core of who you are as a professional.

Consistent branding builds recognition among the entire market and, if done right, it should speak to your target market in a way that builds trust and confidence. Branding makes your business stand out as established, as a good choice to invest time and money in — this applies to potential customers as well as potential employees, investors or partners.

Branding should highlight what you do best. So, any decisions about branding should begin with the same kind of self-reflection that went into determining your target market. What sets you apart from competitors? What does your business do exceptionally well? Answers to these questions will help determine how you should best communicate to your market.

Examples of visual branding include:

• Logo
• Brand colors
• Fonts and typography
• Packaging design
• Website design
• Employee uniforms
• Store displays and signage

The choices for visual branding are unlimited, so it helps to narrow things down by discussing what elements will best convey the values and purpose of your business. Certain colors and patterns evoke certain psychological responses, and the marketplace itself has created associations and expectations over time. For example, bright, bold colors have become associated with fast food or delivery services, while earth tones evoke outdoor brands, coffee or farm-to-table cuisine. Red and blue together, on a barber’s pole, have symbolic meaning in the market that dates back to medieval times.

Your visual branding must work hand-in-hand with your message. The way you deliver that message is your brand voice. This, too, begins with self-reflection on your business’s fundamental values and what problem it solves for your target market.

All products and services aim to help people. The question is, what are you helping them with? Are you helping them have a great date night? Or make a big financial decision? Or grieve a loss? Some businesses can risk out-of-the-box creativity, while others are best served with a formal tone and language. Whether your brand’s voice is playful and funny or authoritative and reliable depends on what will best show empathy for who you want to reach.

Brand voice should decide all copy writing for your business, from a slogan or tagline to the error message customers (hopefully won’t have to) encounter if they hit a broken link on your site. It should clearly come through in advertisements, videos and social media channels. Don’t forget the ”Cookie Monster rule” of social media, that is, every post must feel like it could only come from you, the same way Cookie Monster’s voice is clearly and absolutely his own.

Your brand voice also includes how team members answer the phone or greet walk-in customers. It informs how your website is put together and how copy is written for your advertisements, e-blasts or newsletters. It’s how your customers are made to feel when they enter your business, virtually or in a brick-and-mortar building.

The key is to have all the other elements of your branding consistent so that customers easily tie their great experience to your brand. Then they can recognize it again and recommend you to others.

Avoid thinking that your branding and customer experience should just be “the best” in everything. That reasoning leads to a diluted message that will drown your branding in a sea of sameness. Remember, if there is room in the market for a brand voice that insults their customers, there is room for the unique customer experience you are best at providing.

It will take work to get there, as formulating a brand voice that resonates involves making decisions and developing collateral, procedures and training. Simply saying your business is the best in everything is often a lazy choice that avoids the true work of crafting memorable, marketable branding.

A well-crafted, consistent brand makes people more comfortable choosing your business. Scam and spam noise has grown year after year, and consumers have developed a keen sense of what feels professional and what looks thrown together with AI tools. Quality branding helps potential customers understand that your business is trustworthy.

Branding should set you apart from competitors who are all shouting they are the best. A unique brand voice, paired with visual components, will communicate what makes your business unique.

When loyal customers see your branding on a consistent basis, it should reinforce their decision to keep doing business with you. Positive customer experiences combined with memorable branding creates your business identity and turns regular customers into brand ambassadors.

A respected brand makes it easier to recruit talented team members, investors and business partners. It helps build relationships with suppliers and can turn competitors into colleagues.

In short, branding encompasses everything a business needs in its public-facing activity, as well as many aspects of internal communications. If you’re busy focusing on your business and have ignored branding, then you are missing out on opportunities. Call us today for a consultation about what your branding should be doing for you.