Brand or branding, what a fiasco it has created over the years. Branding has always been there, but humankind released or named it later. More than understanding what Branding is, it has now become much more important to realize what branding is not!
We are not deviating from the topic; we are just sticking to it like the market experts these days do. Branding and brand are interchangeably used but they can not be used as someone implies it to be! Oftentimes, it is the branding that confuses the masses.
Let’s first define the brand:
Rather than searching through books and reading internet definitions, learn this simple brand definition
The name of your service or product is brand.
Unlike your control over naming your brand, branding of your service/product is not that much of an easy task. Rather, it is an ongoing process; from brainstorming to finalizing and then updating, branding requires continuous effort.
Needless to say, you can only put effort into making a brand, but your customers, viewers, and readers help strategize your branding and make it a success.
To make it more clear, think about what branding is before jumping on what branding is not.
Do you think branding is creating a fantastic logo? Do you think of it as a promise? Or do you consider it to be an aesthetic color combination included in your brand guidelines?
Well, to crack the bubble, branding is not what you think it is!
It is much simpler than you think. People complicate it because that’s what the experts tell them. Sometimes if the experts are going to charge you for branding, they might use terms a non-marketer is not familiar with to create a lasting impression. But before you go for such baits, learn what branding is not today.
What branding is not?
Your time is important; let’s use it today to learn how you have been considering branding while in reality, you are not!
Logo
Many people spend bucks on their logos to make their brand stand out from their competitors. But oh, what if the general public didn’t get the point or idea behind the logo?
Since a logo combines colors, elements, and fonts, not everyone is into graphic design to understand its meaning. Therefore, it is not the “actual” branding to have a most intriguing logo. It moves us to the second point of what branding isn’t.
Tagline
Since that logo is unique, the brand wants the people to understand the meaning behind it, and for this, they use a tagline. Cool, a catchy sentence. But did you get the point? Now people will have to remember both. Unlike branding which is meant to mark your customers' hearts, we learned that a complicated logo and an associated tagline to decipher its meaning are a misconception about branding.
Design
Among the many things that a brand uses to look unique, design is also one of such points. But it isn’t branding. Your design, as well as branding, is never going to stay the same. Therefore, it is unwise to put all your time and effort into bringing a design to reality.
Pro Tip: The success is in evolving according to the needs and time; update your design and see the effects.
Marketing
It certainly is NOT branding. Marketing is a vast term and companies spend millions on marketing considering it as a branding tactic, without realizing that it is of no use to the branding of the product or brand.
Remember, these are two different things; marketing plays a vital role in promoting your product/service but never confuse it with branding thinking your job is done.
Website
Having a website is essential to a brand. But is it the pillar on which your branding can stand firm? No.
Branding is so much more than having a static or customized website. More than having a domain at your brand's name, it is important that someone remembers the traffic it attracts. A website alone is not what branding is!
So, what branding is after all?
Branding is so much more than relying on these two or three aspects. It is a blend of multiple things and points. Your brand is important, never forget that but at the same time, branding is essential and a key to your business success.
The branding of a service or product mainly revolves around one thing; if you miss that, you miss successful branding
While the internet will give you tons of information, the experts in your community might guide you in an entirely different direction – leaving you confused to get the right meaning of branding.
Mark today as the day you are clear on the term branding. Not just that, you have the exact formula to formulate your branding strategy because I am revealing the ingredient that will bore fruitful results to your efforts; CUSTOMER.
Yes, you heard it right!
Customers are a cornerstone of every business. A brand is nothing without its customers. No matter what you do, always have your customers as a priority in your mind.
What if you are just starting and having 0 customers? It’s alright; you probably still have got some prospects that may turn into returning customers. For that, you need to understand whom you are targeting and making this specific product or service for?
Have that audience in your mind and build around it. At the end of the day, your customers are going to decide what they think of your logo, your tagline, the quality of your product, and the message it relays.
Defining your ideal customer avatar will save you from a lot of hassle. It will define the color that blends right for the graphics, help you decide the message you want to relay, and most importantly, build a connection between your brand and the customer. After all, branding is not about promoting your service or the product, instead, it’s about having a reliable audience connection.
You are in for a ride; make it worth it. Instead of focusing on being unrepeatable, it is best to focus on branding as a whole. The simplest answer to what branding is not is the pillars of branding when used alone.
A design alone will not help you in branding, but the alignment of all the aspects of branding with the customers will help you move forward.
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