Branding is an extremely important part of your brand and the way your potential customers view it; keeping your audience in mind when creating content or speaking for your brand is key. It can be difficult for small businesses to have specific brand guidelines, but consistency is very important. Read on to learn more about the three worst branding mistakes a small business can make.
- Inconsistency Shows
Have you ever followed a campaign for one of your favorite brands and after a while it loses what made you want to follow it in the first place? Maybe the messaging was off, or the graphics were bad, or maybe you realized the brand didn’t seem to know what they were doing. Whichever way it happened, the inconsistency put you off and you wouldn’t want your brand to look the same way. If your logo goes on most of your social images, it should go on all. If your logo has green and blue in it, your website should too. Not only will this consistency keep customers happy, it will increase your brand awareness and help customers know when they’re looking at your posts.
- Keep Your Image
As people, our images change over the years. Our hairstyles, level of professionalism, and the way we dress all change; but what about your business’ brand? Our personal brands are ever evolving, but should that be the case for your business’ brand? There’s no definitive answer, but if what’s working for you now is still working, it probably shouldn’t change. You may remember an outrage when Gap tried to change their logo a few years back. While it was meant to bring Gap into a more modern time, people were upset and the company ended up switching back within the week. Long story short, don’t just keep your brand consistent, keep your brand. Period.
- Use the Right Copy.
If your business is a local law firm, and everyone comes into the office in suits everyday, posting on your website or social media with contractions and slang probably isn’t appropriate. On the other hand, your local bakery should have fun and post cute pictures around the store. Think about how you would expect your competitor to behave, and then use that as a guide.
Most of these branding mistakes seem like common sense because they are; you know your brand better than anyone, so deciding on your colors, logo, and more and then sticking to them will help your business thrive. Create a brand book or hire an agency to do it for you to keep everything in line, consistent, and continuing to promote your brand effectively. Contact us today to discuss a brand audit for your business!