What is the Difference Between a Business and a Brand? And Why it Matters.

A brand is the face and feeling of your business. It is the visual and emotional image immediately associated with the experience that a customer has with you through all your points of contact.

Get it right, and it can create a powerful and unshakable bond between you and your customer. Get it wrong, and you won't be a spared a second thought.

We Choose Brands that Add to our Identities

Human beings are visual creatures; we are attracted by things we like, which suit our personalities, build upon our identities, and make us feel good.

We don't furnish our homes, clothe ourselves, eat out at, or drive businesses - it is the brand that satisfies those needs - with which we form the connection and all the associated value that comes with those brands. You're buying a lifestyle, an image, desirability, transformation...

There is A LOT of competition out there, a lot of people making very similar products, providing very similar services and charging very similar prices - how does YOUR business stand out in all that choice? Why would someone choose you over your competitors?

This is where good brand strategy does the talking and begins to add value to your business through differentiation.

A Brand Is Much More Than a Logo.

In reality, your logo is the tip of your brand iceberg. Before a logo is even considered, there is a lot of groundwork to do.

To understand the who, what and why of your brand, you need to understand who your customer is, how they think and what they need.

• To truly understand the headspace of your market, research, customer and competitor analysis are essential.
  

• Defining Your Values: having shared values with your customer creates meaning and fosters loyalty.
  

• Asking yourself important questions about where you see your brand going, your vision, and establishing a mission to achieve it is essential.
  

• Only once your brand has established its personality and authentic voice can we start crafting a visual identity to bolster its attributes.

Don't Skimp On Your Logo

It is tempting to save money wherever you can when starting up. Just remember that your logo is the visual representation of your brand, and getting it wrong could turn potential customers away.

Your product, service or experience could be superior to a competitor's, but if your branding is sub-par, it could lose you a lot of business.

What You Do Next Matters

While you can find cheap logo and brand identity designs, they're a dime a dozen, we suggest you proceed with caution. Design is subjective at the best of times, and as many business owners are not designers, getting it wrong isn't uncommon.

Here is one example of how design can completely change a brand, attract new market segments and drive more interest.

This company initially came to us because they struggled to get the interest required from potential exhibitors for their proposed event. And they asked us to redesign their proposal document.

On further examination, it was very apparent what the problem was.

The brand identity just wasn't sophisticated enough to appeal to their proposed target audience. For an events company that wanted to target people in the highest income bracket, the logo completely missed the mark.

In this case, we decided along with the client that it required a full brand redevelopment. This completely vivified the brand, and they were able to get the buy-in that they needed to fulfil their requirements for the event.

We crafted a new brand identity, tone of voice, personality and brand strategy for both the brand and the event itself.

What We Do, We Do Well

Having an experienced consultant such as The Doing Word to guide you through a more strategic approach to building your brand is a way to mitigate early mistakes and save you from having to pay for an expensive rebrand later down the road.

The marriage between business and brand is crucial. They cannot exist in today's world without each other.

With so many businesses struggling to reemerge post-COVID, it is essential to get your house in order. The business or business ideas that you had pre-COVID might not be relevant anymore - but that doesn't mean there isn't opportunity to be had.

Let us help you shape your ideas and put words into action. We're in the business of building great brands, and we want you to succeed. We provide ongoing support for all of our clients to help you adapt in crisis, change on the fly, and keep the business end of your brand alive.

Let's Do This, contact us today for a no-obligation confidential conversation about your business and branding problems