Branding: What it is and why it’s important

A lot of marketers these days talk about the importance of a business branding itself. Branding gets a lot of attention for good reason: it’s a huge part of the success of any business, large or small.

But just what is branding, and why is it so vital to your company? Before you learn how to create a brand or start thinking about logo design ideas, let’s go through some of the basics.

What is a brand?

A lot of people think of a brand simply as a logo, but it’s actually quite a bit more than that. A company’s brand includes anything that makes it unique — anything you can use to differentiate it from other companies. A strong logo is certainly an important component of a brand. Another important component is a color scheme. Think of any famous company, and you can probably picture their logo and color scheme in your head. That’s because their team has worked hard to create a recognizable brand.

It goes even further than this! Companies with strong brands develop guidelines about which fonts to use, where to position their logo within designs and custom graphics, how certain assets should and should not be displayed, and even how to write with the proper style and tone.

The term brand covers everything a company puts out, both internally and externally. Business branding influences everything from email marketing to memo writing.

Why does branding matter?

Branding — that is, the process of creating a brand for a company — is important for at least three reasons. First and most importantly, branding helps with recognition. Companies with strong, consistent brands are far more likely to have repeat customers or clients because people will know what they’re getting before they read or hear a single word. Think about how valuable that is: with a strong logo and a strong brand, you’re already part of the way to a conversion without writing a single word of copy.

Second, branding is important for consistency, which helps your company appear stable and coherent. Studies have shown that an inconsistent brand decreases consumers’ faith in a company, even if they were pleased with that company’s goods or services. Using your logo and colors consistently is obviously important, but the smaller stuff matters, too. Observant consumers can notice even small changes in font or writing style. That’s why large companies hire copywriters and copy editors to comb through every piece of writing they put out to make sure it’s consistent and on-brand.

Finally, branding is important because it makes marketing a lot easier. If you have a comprehensive brand, you won’t have to start from scratch every time you need to produce a new asset. Since the brand governs everything from banner ads to press releases, you will always have assets available when you go to create something new. This cuts down on valuable time in the funnel marketing process, saving you money and making your company seem more recognizable and trustworthy.

Jackson Kushner – Noble House Media Group