Protecting your brand
Taking control of the narative
First of all, I think it’s important to clarify what a ‘brand’ actually is, so we know what we’re protecting and why.
A brand simply refers to people’s perception of a business, an organisation, or even a person. It’s reputation. It’s what other people think about you or your business while you’re not in the room.
And, because this is so intangible and potentially so fleeting, it can really vary from person to person. Two different people can actually have two different perceptions of the exact same business, because it’s just their point of view.
And that can become very confusing when you’re trying to be unique and distinctive in a busy and noisy marketplace. Depending on their experience and other background influences, one person can be saying one thing about your business, while another is saying something totally different.
That’s why it’s really important for us as business owners to control the narrative. To curate the story that we want people to share about us.
Is the story of your brand saying “she’s not serious, she’s just faffing around while the kids are at school?” or “I don’t know if I can trust him because he posts something different and unexpected every time” or “other people are doing that, but I can get the same thing cheaper somewhere else”?
Or is the story of your brand saying “she offers a professional service with limited hours of engagement” or “this guy shows up consistently everywhere, I’m sure I can count on him” or “it’s expensive, but worth every penny!”?
You need to curate that story as a business owner, and you need to protect it. Otherwise, people are going to create their own story about your business - something which you’ll have no control over.
Without intention, your brand story is just going to be whatever willy-nilly message people will perceive your business as. And that perception is going to be altered and influenced based on many factors - some that actually don’t have anything to do with you.
So how do we even do this?
‘Branding’ is the term that refers to the deliberate actions that businesses take to control their brand story - defining your values & mission, developing your messaging & language, crafting your customers experience, and designing your visual branding assets (logo, fonts colours etc).
In most cases, the first interaction we have with a business is visual.
If you’re walking down the street and you see a billboard or a sign, that’s a visual touchpoint. If you’re scrolling social media and a reel pops up, or a sponsored ad, that’s a visual touchpoint. If you’re searching online for a particular product or service and you click through to someone’s website, that website is a visual touchpoint.
And based on that initial visual touchpoint - that first impression - a potential customer is going to decide pretty quickly whether or not the business feels trustworthy enough to take the next step in the buying process, or if they’re going to take a step back and go somewhere else.
Visual communication that is put together without thought or consideration to the reader might look amateur and inconsistent - two qualities I’m sure you don’t want attributed to your overall brand message.
And that’s why design is so important in protecting your brand. The deliberate design of those first visual touchpoints will help to invite people into a brand story that promises attention to detail, that values professionalism, that provides clarity and ease, and stands apart as unique.
So what is your visual communication saying about your brand?
Do your visual brand elements - like your logo, fonts, colour palette, styling elements, and imagery - provide a professional first impression and support the message that you want people to hear?
Your brand should be YOUR narrative. Be intentional and protect it.
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