5 Common Misconceptions About Branding
There are endless amounts of advice out there about the all-important branding process and how to successfully create a strategy for your business. The problem? Figuring out what is actually useful information, and what is just passed-down myth.
In this post, we’re exposing the top five misconceptions about branding so that you can get the real facts and get down to business!
1. Your Brand = Your Marketing
The Truth: Marketing is only one part of your brand. Yes, marketing is a crucial step in the branding process, but it doesn’t determine it. This is most often seen in businesses that place brand planning responsibilities onto their marketing teams. These two topics should be kept separate if possible, because marketing is really only one subgroup of an overall brand.
Here is a brand that’s got both down! Halo Top Creamery has recently upped its game by combining on-brand content and marketing. By utilizing social media, popular hashtags, and comical commercials that got the internet buzzing, Halo Top has been successful in creating a distinct brand and using strong marketing to get their message out.
2. A Brand Doesn’t Require Any Upkeep
The Truth: Your brand should be actively reviewed and adjusted to ensure that you and your business are always on the right track. Try to think of branding as a lifestyle that requires routine check-ups, instead of as a one-time action that is completed all at once.
When we think about a consistent brand, we think about companies that have kept a strong, ongoing theme since the beginning. Companies like the beverage giant, Coca Cola. From day-one the company has stuck to its original message of providing its consumers with inspiration, happiness, and refreshment. Through thick and thin, Coca Cola has stayed true to its positive, good-hearted vibes.
3. A Brand Is Solely Visual
The Truth: Your brand isn’t just your logo or web design, it also includes the actual text, content, and interactions that your business puts forth on a daily basis. Many make the mistake of ending their branding journey after only completing their logo, when this is just the starting point in creating a long-lasting impression for your company.
Apple is a company that comes to mind and we think iconic logos. Even though they boast an logo design that is sleek, simple, and memorable, they still work to integrate that same message into their overall branding strategy and products.
4. Your Brand is What You Say it is
The Truth: In reality, your brand is more based on what others say about it behind its back. Your brand will gain its own reputation overtime, whether you say it’s the right one or not. If you want your business to emit a certain message, then your company’s actions must consistently reflect this preferred image over a period of time. Building a brand doesn’t just happen overnight (or immediately after you post your mission statement)!
The best way to achieve that image you are hoping for is to be real with your audience! The more your brand exudes credibility, the more your customers will actually trust the message that you’re putting forth. A brand that masters authenticity is Zappos. They’ve even created a set of ten core values to ensure that their company culture stays in line with with their message.
5. Branding is Only For Businesses With Products
The Truth: It’s almost the opposite! For the companies that don’t have the aid of physical goods, it’s even more important for them to have a strong brand in order to stay recognizable and memorable. In today’s world, it is almost expected to have a set brand for your business, whether it offers actual products or is purely service-based.
The company, Drybar, is a great example of a service-based business whose brand always stays consistent and memorable! They use specific colors and content in order to keep a strong theme on their websites and at their locations. Even though the company now carries their own product line, they’ve been able to expand into a shoppable business due to their distinct branding strategy.
There you have it! Hopefully you have enough real information on branding to start mastering your own strategy.
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