For me, I knew the feel I wanted my website to portray for my readers. As a result, I had a general idea of the colors and design elements that I was drawn to in order to create that feeling. But coming up with the actual designs was way beyond my area of expertise. It took me a while to accept that I just can’t do everything myself. So, I hired the lovely Kory Woodard to craft the perfect logo and select complementary colors to create the brand you see now.
The Importance of Branding Your Business
Your entire website is part of your customer’s experience, as is your email newsletter and your social media presence. So, I want you to ask yourself this question… Is your branding consistent across the web? If it is, fantastic! If not, well, it’s time to start working on that!
By branding your business and creating consistency across the web, it’s going to help you get noticed online. Think about it. How many times have you seen an image while scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram and immediately known whose content it was without even looking at the username? That’s because that person has a strong brand identity.
A strong brand identity shows that you have put both thought and effort into creating a great experience for your readers and customers. And the aesthetics of your site can definitely impact whether or not someone will come back to read your next blog post or ultimately make a purchase. If you’re sharing images and graphics that are poor quality or you have a messy, cluttered web design, it’s likely you won’t be attracting all the pageviews you’re hoping for.
You should create a consistent, quality experience for your customers when branding your business. From your blog posts, the products and services you offer, your checkout process, and your entire client experience, you should effectively represent your brand.
The Elements of a Successful Brand
So, what makes up a successful brand? You want to make sure that you’ve got the look and feel of your site down. Your logo, the colors you use, and the graphics you create can all covey a certain feeling. How do you want your readers and customers to feel when they visit your website for the first time? Plan the look of your branding around that.
But branding your business is more than just how your website looks. Sure, having the perfect logo is essential, but you need to think beyond that. The voice that shows through in your writing should be representative of your brand. You should keep that in mind as you craft your blog posts, copy for your sales pages, your social media updates, etc. If you’re trying to create this soft, feminine brand, using cuss words in your posts probably won’t resonate with your readers!
How to Brand Your Business
When you’re ready to get serious about branding your business, I highly recommend reaching out to someone who does branding and design work. Consulting with someone else is a great way to talk through your ideas and bring them to life. Of course, if you’re a designer, you’ll likely do your branding yourself! But if you’re not a designer, definitely hire someone to aid in branding your business!
Remember that your brand extends further than your website. You should also brand your social media platforms by using the same profile photo across all the platforms, creating header images that fit your brand, and writing in the same way you would for your blog. If you’re working with clients, use an online platform for invoicing and support tickets, such as FreshBooks, where you can brand your company’s account. FreshBooks allows you to add your own logo to its pages, which is great for creating consistency across the web. When your clients head to your FreshBooks page, there should be no doubt in their minds that they’re in the right place! I’ve used FreshBooks myself and it’s a great platform for invoicing your clients!