The term “branding” is a hot topic in the business world. Everyone has heard of it, companies know it’s important – but many do not completely understand why. But you shouldn’t ignore it just because you don’t understand it. In fact, lack of a cohesive branding strategy can backfire and leave your company struggling to compete with those who take this important topic seriously. In no uncertain terms, understanding the importance of branding is essential to the growth and success of your business.
Branding Defined
Branding, in essence, creates an identity for your business or organization, but it is more complex than it used to be. While the concept originated as a few basic essentials like name, logo and packaging, it has evolved to much more. Companies now include an additional array of defining elements into the mix to establish their brand, including typography and font, color palettes with defined HEX codes, graphics and imagery, and even intangible elements like voice and tone, company values and mission statements. This combination of factors helps a company distinguish itself from others and create a true representation of how they want to be perceived.
Benefits of Effective Branding
So, why is there so much emphasis on developing the right branding? When companies establish a strong brand, the effects can be impactful and far-reaching. The most important benefits a company can achieve with a strong brand strategy are:
- Establishing a unique presence in the marketplace
- Building trust with consumers
- Setting your company apart from competitors
A powerful brand will resonate with consumers. In fact, the more recognizable a brand becomes, the more people will attribute qualities such as reliability and trustworthiness to that business. Increased recognition makes consumers feel more comfortable with the business, which builds loyalty. In turn, loyal customers are more likely to be interested in new products that the business might introduce, and they are also more inclined to recommend the business to others.
These effects tend to build on each other and continue to strengthen the overall image and growth of the business. Therefore, it’s important to maintain that brand at all times. Every aspect of a business, from marketing materials, to ads to social interactions, should be intentional with respect to brand parameters in order to consistently reflect their established brand identity and promote a consistent image across all touchpoints with consumers.
Designing Around a Brand
From a design standpoint, strictly adhering to established brand guidelines is essential. There are a lot of companies out there and many have similar colors, fonts, etc. Using even a slightly altered shade of a brand color in an ad could lead a consumer to confuse it with a competing business. Customers often make quick decisions so there is little room for error when it comes to marketing appropriately. In order to maintain the integrity of a company’s brand, it is essential to create cohesive marketing efforts across all platforms and tactics using the established branding guidelines.
Branding in Action at SC Marketing, Inc.
SC Marketing collaborated with the Illinois Department of Employment Security team to create a marketing strategy to promote the layoff aversion program WorkShare IL. One major component of the project was to develop the branding for this new program that was to be promoted to employers across the state. The program branding included a new logo, tagline, design elements and photographic and graphic styles to be used across all marketing materials for multiple platforms and tactics, including print materials, digital advertising, promotional items, presentation templates, trade show materials and more. As we developed this unique brand, we ensured that all elements and content remained consistent across our tactics, and reflected the overall professional image of the program.
From May of 2023 through January of 2025, our social media marketing efforts alone reached 7,891,000 people and resulted in 173,200 of them clicking on the ads to learn more about the program. The consistent branding established this program as an authority on employment and layoff complications during business downturns and built a trust with businesses that the program could provide a valuable solution.
Looking for a marketing partner who can help you create or refine your branding efforts? Reach out to us at 630-456-0827 or susan@scmarketinginc.com to learn more.
