Branding Before Marketing! That's Right, I Said It!

Branding is built on a story, a set of values, a community, core beliefs, messaging, and of course products/services. It’s made up of many facets-visual and non-visual, alike, and plays such a vital role in business function. In a sense, it's sort of like a manual or contract that guides “users." - A code of conduct to refer to when making certain decisions that many business owners don't know how to make (esp. visual ones). When a designer develops a brand with/for you, it sets up a template for those visual cogs of your company machine to begin turning, connecting, and initiating on their own.

This is useful for social media managers, content creators, and marketers as well. The truth of it is that many marketers and social media people are not fluent in design and don't fully understand the importance of brand consistency or brand awareness when that's the whole point of putting your business online. Branding is so much about connecting you to people. Marketing and social media ought to aid, majorly, in spreading brand awareness. How can that be done if there has been no brand development?

What happens is the brand, unintentionally, develops by itself over time-which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Though, for many, it is. It can become problematic very quickly. This is, ESPECIALLY true, at this time in consumer history because there are so many product/service options to choose from, that people begin to become overwhelmed with decision making.

People just want BRANDS that they can feel a sense of loyalty to. You CANNOT be loyal to a product or service, by itself. You CAN be loyal to an owner that you want to see succeed, a company's story that you resonate with, a community that you want to be a part of, or an initiative that you want to promote and support. Every valuable business has a good story or reason behind it's existence. Branding communicates that for you.

Where design is concerned, everything from the logo, down to the typography should tell a story and influence a feeling and experience. In marketing and advertising, the idea is to the set the scene and advertise or sell a lifestyle that a company aligns themselves with. Branding is not limited to visuals-just as lifestyle is not, but I think it starts there, for most. And I say “most” because some people lack vision, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot experience a brand. It’s just that people with sight are so visually-driven, it’s difficult to experience anything beyond what you see, at first.

Admittedly, I have some stake in the game of “selling” branding to businesses. It is my business, after all. We need our businesses to feed our families. That’s just the truth of it. But I chose this one because I love it and because it is such an invaluable service that I have the opportunity to offer to people. I get to help other business owners grow their beloved businesses and really take them to the next level by professionally positioning them against their competitors with their new-found sense of team spirit, and their spiffy, “brand” new uniform.