Branding and why it’s so important for your business

Marketing a business in the 21st century is no mean feat. Advances in technology have provided business owners with access to an ever-expanding range of tools and platforms to share their businesses with the world. From social media and email to websites and digital banners, there’s truly no shortage of ways for you to reach new clients. And yet despite this, standing out in the crowded marketplace has never felt more difficult. With so many businesses offering similar services, how do you differentiate your business from all the others? Well there are a few ways we can think of but one of the main ways is with your branding.

Branding is more than just a fancy logo and colour scheme. It’s the story you tell, the values you embody, and the experience you create. It’s the essence of who you are as a business – your mission, your vision, and the unique spark that ignites your passion. It’s how you interact with the world – with customers, partners, and even those who haven’t discovered you yet. By understanding this you can construct a strong and successful brand, transforming your business from a hidden gem into an industry leader.

But what makes branding so important? What goes into building a powerful brand, and how can you build one for your business? In this article, we’ll take a deep dive to fully understand how adopting a strong brand can propel your business to success.

Why is branding so important?

Branding is one of the most important assets you have when it comes to marketing your business as it brings so many benefits:

Increased brand awareness and recognition

A strong brand makes your business more recognisable and helps to distinguish you from your competitors. Your brand identity, which is the visible elements of your brand i.e. the logo, colours, tone of voice, messaging and other visual assets etc. are part of what makes your business memorable. By adopting a brand identity across all your business’s marketing channels, your customers will start to recognise you and trust any content that you put out using that branding knowing that it has come from you.

If your branding is inconsistent, it can cause confusion for customers and reduce confidence in your brand as one of our recent clients found out:

CASE STUDY:

CW Growth Hub Group is a government supported organisation, which offers one-to-one advice and ongoing support to businesses in the region. The group has evolved over time to include several sub-brands and whilst the expansion has allowed them to cater to a wider audience, it has also created challenges with recognition and brand consistency.

To address these challenges, Glued conducted a comprehensive brand audit which identified inconsistencies in the various sub-brands' visual elements and messaging. We then created a set of clear and concise brand guidelines, outlining the core brand identity that all sub-brands should adhere to. These brand guidelines and newly created templates ensured consistency across all sub-brands, making the overall brand message stronger and more recognisable. As a result, the CW Growth Hub Group experienced a significant increase in brand awareness and recognition, with customers now clearly understanding the connection between the various sub-brands and the core company values.

Read the full case study here

Improved customer loyalty and relationships

Branding isn’t just about recognition; it’s about fostering deeper connections with your target audience. When you build those deeper connections, customer loyalty increases. Customers who connect with your brand on an emotional level are more likely to trust your values, becoming loyal advocates – choosing you over competitors and recommending your products or services to others.

Effective branding also enhances customer relationships. By communicating your values and mission in a clear and consistent way, you attract customers who resonate with your brand’s messaging. This two-way street of communication allows you to build trust with your audience, connect with them on an emotional level, and make customers feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.

Enhanced credibility and authority

A well-developed brand with consistent visual elements, clear messaging, and a professional overall presentation, projects professionalism and expertise. This assures customers that you’re an authority in your industry, someone they can rely on for quality products or services. Consistent brand messaging across all channels – from your website and marketing materials to customer interactions – further builds trust. Customers will also come to expect a certain level of quality and service from your brand, believing your claims and choose you over competitors for your reliability.

Increased effectiveness of marketing and communication

Your branding acts as the foundation of all your marketing and communication efforts. A consistent brand identity translates into consistent messaging across all platforms – website, social media, advertising, and even customer interactions – ensuring your audience receives a clear impression of your brand. When you tailor your messaging to your target audience it resonates with them increasing awareness and building stronger connections as one of our clients recently discovered.

CASE STUDY

Coventry Pride is a local charity that promotes equality, diversity and advances in education, to eliminate discrimination against the LGBT+ Community. In 2016, Glued director David Wilson, joined the trustee board volunteering his design and marketing skills to help build brand awareness and encourage higher attendance at events.

Glued refreshed Coventry Pride’s brand identity and messaging, creating a consistent voice across all their communication channels. We also created a new campaign in 2018 built around the #BeYou concept, which we promoted through both online and traditional media including banners, flyers, and social media.

The campaign was a huge hit, attracting 5,000 more visitors than the previous year. Social media engagement skyrocketed too, with a 1200% increase in the lead-up to the event and a reach of 77,000 for their promotional posts.

Attract top talent

A powerful brand doesn’t just attract customers, it can also act as a magnet for top talent. It highlights your company culture, values, and mission, establishing you as an employer of choice. This increased visibility and clear communication of purpose attracts individuals who resonate with your brand and its values, leading to a wider pool of qualified applicants and a more engaged workforce.

Improved employee engagement

Strong branding plays a powerful role in your business’s internal culture as well. When a brand identity aligns with employee values, it creates a sense of purpose and belonging. Employees who connect with the brand’s mission and vision experience increased morale and pride, becoming engaged brand ambassadors as one of our clients, Walker Institute discovered. Staff who feel more engaged become more confident and are willing to share ideas making the business more successful.

CASE STUDY

The Walker Institute is the initiative of climate researchers who wanted to pool the efforts of leading climate research organisations in the UK. Their objective is to understand and deepen their understanding of the climate and use this information to educate the government and affected industries.

Lacking a name, strategy, a way to promote what they do, or any other foundation on which to build the organisation, they turned to Glued for help.

After conducting extensive interviews and workshops with stakeholders, influencers, potential members, partners and staff, we were able to suggest a name and come up with a vision, values and brand guidelines which all showed who the institute was, what it stood for, and how it operated and communicated. Effectively, it established a foundation upon which the organisation could build and grow.

With this foundation in place, stakeholders and staff felt they had the branding they needed for their cause, instilling in them a sense of purpose and a brand that they could be proud of. It is that pride and their commitment to the institution and what it stands for that means over 10 years later, the organisation has gone from strength to strength and now represents some of the leading climate experts in the country.

Read the full case study here

Premium pricing

Strong branding goes beyond aesthetics. It shapes how customers perceive your value. A well-established reputation for quality and desirability translates to a clear value proposition. Customers are more willing to pay a premium because they recognise the additional benefits your product or service offers compared to competitors. A powerful emotional connection to your brand reduces price sensitivity, allowing you to maintain premium pricing and achieve higher profitability. This can also be helpful when trying to tap into the high-end market as one of our clients found out:

So, we now know the benefits of having great branding but the question then becomes – how do you actually build a great brand?

How to build a powerful brand

Here at Glued, we can help you to create effective branding for your business but there are a few questions you will need to consider before we get started:

• Who are your audience: Who are you trying to reach? What are the key demographics, needs, and aspirations.
• How do you want your business to be perceived in the market? What sets you apart from your competitors?
• What do you offer and how does it improve lives or solve the problems of your target audience?
• What channels do you use to market your business?
• What do you currently have in terms of logo, brand assets, brand guidelines?

By answering these questions, you will gain valuable insights into your business that will drive the development of your new brand identity.

The power of brand storytelling and why it matters?

Brand storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in any business’s toolbox. Stories have the power to breathe life into your brand, helping you to connect with your ideal client. Stories can make you laugh, cry, feel inspired and take action which is why they are key in marketing. The emotional connection created by storytelling creates an impression of your brand as authentic, honest, and trustworthy – values that your customers can resonate with. Your stories can also help your clients to get to know who you are and what your brand stands for and if your client can relate to that, it can pay in dividends. Sharing customer success stories, how you overcame challenges, or achieved goals inspires others are just some of the ideas you can use to help you stand out. And if your customer sees themselves reflected in the story and believes your brand can help them achieve similar results. they will be more likely to invest in your brand.

The Enduring Power of Branding

Effective branding is key when it comes to marketing a business successfully. A strong brand acts like a magnet, attracting ideal customers, fostering loyalty, and solidifying your position as a leader in the industry. It is far more than just colours, fonts, and logos – it’s the essence of who you are and what you stand for. It is the story you tell, the emotions you evoke, and the promises you deliver.

Scaling a business hinges on effective communication and building strong relationships. Powerful branding projects a professional image and allows you to clearly convey your value proposition. While DIY branding might seem attractive, the complexities involved can turn it into a gamble and inconsistent messaging or a poorly designed logo can damage your brand reputation, taking time and resources to repair.

That’s why working with branding experts is invaluable. Professionals like the team at Glued, offer guidance in crafting a cohesive brand strategy. They’ll help you define your target audience, unearth your brand’s core values, and translate them into a compelling visual identity and messaging that resonates deeply with your customers. The result? A unified brand identity that sets you apart from competitors and becomes a powerful asset that fuels your long-term growth. A great example of this has been at Northampton College where a new brand identity transformed the college’s image and reputation resulting in long-term success.

Case Study

Northampton College reached out to us desiring a rebrand to change the perception of the college to make it a more serious competitor in the further education market of colleges and sixth forms. Specifically, they hoped to present themselves as modern (despite aging infrastructure), improve their reputation and image, and attract more students to the college.

The team at Glued conducted research that led to establishing a set of values upon which a new brand identity and strategy were developed.

In the years since the new brand identity was implemented, the college has gone from strength to strength with branding which has left a lasting impression on the local community and beyond. With the foundations of the new branding in place, Northampton College has been able to secure funding for new infrastructure, has improved its standing with OFSTED, student satisfaction is higher and student performance has improved. This only goes to show the power of what investing in strong branding can do in the long term.

Read the full case study here

Ultimately, a successful brand is a living entity that evolves alongside your business. It’s the foundation for building trust and fostering emotional connections with your audience. Invest in your brand, and watch it become the driving force behind your long-term success.