Why a Unique Brand Matters

We have all heard the saying, “What’s in a name?” When you are a business owner, you know that the answer to that age-old question is: everything. The name of your business is the first interaction with your company customers will have, and it can make or break the organization you are trying to build.

OK, so maybe that is a little dramatic, but the name of your business is important. More importantly, though, so is your brand. And a brand should be so much more than just a name.

A unique brand can set your business apart, even when you are a franchise owner with a well-known business name. Defining your brand is a great way to establish your personal voice and build a culture for your business.

What Brand Identity Is

Since starting with the basics is always the best way to understand a concept, understanding what a brand identity is can be broken down to as simple as the visual image your customers see. The colors, graphics and pictures used in your logo, name or any other items associated with your business are all a part of your brand identity.

Because your name and logo play such a crucial role in telling your customers who you are, the way it is designed should be carefully thought-out. Imagine if the well-known golden arches had been brown instead—it doesn’t exactly have the same kind of attention draw, does it?

If you are a new business owner, spending time researching colors, shapes and lettering is important as you create the image that will represent who you are and the business you are building.

Making Branding So Much More

Now that we have defined what brand identity is at its very basic, we can start to look at how building a brand for your business can be so much more than just a design or even a name. This is particularly important for franchise owners, who bought into a company with a well-established name already in place.

When a company doesn’t have a unique voice, even a nationally recognized name won’t get them very far.

Creating your brand—or carrying on the standards of one that already exists—is important as you establish your business. Finding your own unique voice and creating a culture that draws your customers in is, too. Consumers want to shop somewhere they feel heard and appreciated, somewhere that feels fresh and individualized. If your store is just another in a chain, it will be much more challenging to create repeat customers and build a solid consumer base.

While building your brand starts with colors, lettering and shapes, it should be an ingrained part of who you are as a company. When you build a brand for yourself, it should set you apart from the rest of your competition and let your community know how much you love being a part of it.

This can be achieved by ensuring that a consistent voice is used across any platform where you promote your business. That means letting your staffer with less-than-appealing language loose on your social media page might not be the best idea.

In general, anywhere your customers interact with your business it should feel the same. Just like your logo should look the same no matter what it is printed on, your brand should welcome clients and customers digitally just like it would in a face-to-face interaction.

So, what is your brand? Is it your business name and logo and nothing more, or have you created a unique voice that sets you apart and keeps your consumers returning?

Want to build a brand that is ingrained in everything your business does? We can help with that.