When many companies start out, they focus on their product and acquiring as many customers as possible.
Branding is an afterthought or something you make up as you go along.
However, there are huge negative consequences that become increasingly difficult to correct the longer you wait to define your brand strategy.
In this article, you’ll focus on some of the top branding mistakes that new business owners make.
When you become aware of these avoidable mistakes, you will be better able to make the right decisions for your brand. Here they are:
Underestimating the importance of branding
Many people think of branding as simply choosing a logo for their business. But branding goes beyond colors, typography, or choosing the right brand name.
It’s all about building trust and using the tools at your disposal to influence public perception of who you are. Branding reflects your values, evokes emotions in your audience, and differentiates you from your competitors.
Before you create a logo, choose your brand’s primary color, or focus on any other detail, you should decide on the following:
- What does your brand stand for?
- Who is your target audience?
- Where are you going to be present, i.e. on what platforms?
- What is the ‘Why’ of your business? Why did you create this company?
Once you answer these questions, figuring out how you’re going to brand your business becomes a logical and effective endeavor.
So, prioritize branding from the very beginning of setting up your business. If you put some thought and effort into it, you won’t have to undertake costly, avoidable rebranding of your business in the future. And you will create a lasting corporate identity.
Not creating documented guidelines
A critical mistake is that your branding is not consistent across different platforms and activities. And this mistake is often the result of not documenting and sharing your brand guidelines with your team and external stakeholders.
Once you’ve decided on elements like your logo, color palette for your brand, typography, tone of voice, and more, you need to write down those details. Here are some tips on how to do this:
Create presentation slide templates, letterhead documents, blog header templates, and other types of templates. Share them with your team so they can copy these files and use them wherever needed.
If you’re using a premium content creation tool, you can save colors, fonts, and your logo in the branding toolkit section. This will make it easier for users of any company to choose the right colors and fonts for their work.
Create a simple document with detailed branding instructions. Make it available via a shared folder or file so anyone can reference it.
Create a media kit on your website so partners, press, and others can learn the dos and don’ts of your brand elements.
Documenting your brand strategy and other details is usually a one-time endeavor. You will only need to go back to make updates. This simple step creates brand consistency across time and platforms.
Without singling yourself out
Have you ever noticed how similar company names and logos in a certain area are to each other? You’ve probably come across dozens of health food companies that use green and brown in their branding or have a plant element in their logo.
This makes sense because it tells people what the company is all about at first glance. However, it also makes it difficult for people to remember your company.
It is important to strategically position your brand so that it stands out from the competition. It’s not easy to do, but by doing research on your competitors, customers, and defining your values, you’ll have a better chance of creating a unique brand statement.
Trying to please everyone
A brand that tries to please everyone will receive moderate ratings from most people and little loyalty in the long run.
If you want to have a thriving community of brands and customers who will remain loyal to your business, then you need to stand for something specific. And often this means that there will be a part of the market that will not be interested in your product.
However, customers who truly value what you do will be more engaged, loyal, and even become ambassadors for your business.
Have clear values and market your company and products to specific segments of your potential audience. When you do this, you will build a strong brand with an energetic and engaged community.
Not responding to your audience
It was just mentioned that you shouldn’t try to please everyone. However, this does not mean that you never take criticism or feedback into account.
When you’re launching a marketing campaign or new product, it’s important to listen to how your target audience feels about your work.
Here are the sources of information you should track to find out how people are responding to your marketing and branding efforts:
Use social media management tools to conduct social listening. A good tool is to create a feed using hashtags, brand mentions and specific keywords. And you will have the only place to see what people think.
Regularly use generation tools to collect feedback and conduct surveys.
Check your customer service and CRM interactions for frequent complaints or a surge in feedback at the end of a new marketing campaign.
Branding is a continuous process. You need to collect data and use the response you get from your audience to grow your brand the right way.
Final words
You’ve covered some of the top branding mistakes that companies make when they get started.
Being aware of these pitfalls will help you make better decisions and grow your brand the right way.
Branding is a serious activity that will impact the longevity of your business. Work on it from the beginning and you will create the foundation for long-term success.
