Why branding needs to have substance

Substance abuse.

Yep you heard right – substance abuse.

But listen, by this we mean ensuring a brand has substance.

A strong brand should be recognisable whether you see the logo or not. It is about all the dots, not just a logo and a typeface.

A good brand connects with a customer so they know who you are before you’ve even met.

That’s what a good brand does, without saying a word. Long gone are the days of branding just being ‘The Colouring in Department’ *

We’re not going to sit here and teach you to suck eggs, we’ll leave that to your granny, but every now and then every business, even the biggest, needs to take a step back and go back to basics with their brand and remember why it is important.

Think of branding as though your company were a living, breathing person. Stay with me…

Imagine this person explaining who they are, why they’re valuable, and what they specifically have to offer.

That’s what a good brand does, without saying a word.

A Basic Checklist to Evaluate Your Brand

How do you know if your brand has substance? Start by asking yourself the following:

• Does the brand relate to my target audience? Will they instantly “get it” without too much thought?
• Does the brand share the uniqueness of what I am offering and why it’s important?
• Does the brand reflect the promise made to my target audience and hold value for my employees?
• Does the brand reflect the values that I want to represent to my customers?

These questions should serve as a guideline in the development of your brand, and that can be difficult to do on your own.

If you’re not sure about the answers, that’s where we can help.

No pushy sales… we don’t know how!