How to (and not to) Promote Your Brand

Customers have an endless amount of choices when it comes to the products and services they can choose from. It seems as if everything has been done before, and anyone can promote themselves with t-shirts, mugs, and pens. The one thing that makes a company stand out from the rest is their brand.

What makes someone pay seventy dollars for a Nike hoodie when they could have the exact same one with a different logo for thirty bucks? The design on that hoodie, the brand, was developed and designed in an appealing manner. It is also a name with which they hold positive emotions for.

Whether you are creating a new branding or simply looking for social media logos to print, promoting your business is all about proper branding.

Design and Development

A common mistake that many companies make is focusing too heavily on either design or development when they should be giving both aspects equal attention. These two aspects of brand creation are often kept separate, which can cause the initial idea to be lost in translation once the final product arrives.

Instead, find what businesses call the “rare unicorn hybrid”, someone who is both a designer and a developer. While many think of these roles simply in terms of building a website, they often forget that a part of that process is designing a logo and brand. These unique workers act as one stop shops for startups and large corporations alike.

With an impressive set of skills and the experience of two teams combined, the unicorn can see the entire process through from start to finish. Working with these individuals not only ensures that your brand is in the hands of someone who understands design inside and out, but also in the hands of someone who can see it through from newly laid egg to full-fledged, market ready production.

Mistakes that Hurt your Brand

Branding mistakes can make or break your business. There is a great deal of pressure to get it right the first time, which can lead to all sorts of mishaps.

Perhaps the most common mistake startup companies make is having the best of intentions but executing them in a terrible manner. Whether that means creating a hashtag without understanding how they work, utilizing a sense of humor that not everyone is going to appreciate, or simply launching something new at the wrong time, poor execution can mean the death of a brand.

Consider the negative flak Arlington Pediatric Center received after a logo mishap. Their intention, healthcare for children, was a good one but the execution of their logo lead many to find other pediatricians for their children out of fear. It happens to more companies than you might think!

The second largest mistake is alienating your audience. This is usually done in the product marketing phase when a company prints their brand on an item without thinking about how their audience might actually use that item. For instance, if your demographic were blue collar workers than a thermos would be a better option than a coffee mug.

Orchestrating Leads

Speaking of hitting your target audience with genius marketing, orchestrating the perfect sales lead is one of the best ways to promote your brand.

Nowadays, the main focus of marketing has shifted over to social media. So, if you had a pen with your logo on one side, then you might want to put a social media icon on the other side to let potential customers know they can check your Facebook page or Instagram account.

Granted, this could all be done online or with a giveaway, but using traditional promotional products holds a benefit that many overlook. By giving a potential customer an item like a pen, mug, or tote bag, you’re giving them something they can use daily.

This makes them more likely to choose your services or products than your competitors, causing them to have a positive experience with your company which makes them more likely to recommend your brand to others as well as become a return customer.

Tying it all together

There’s a lot to take in when it comes to branding. So, let’s simmer all of this information down and tie it together with an example.

Super Cool Movie Reviews is just starting out and wants to be recognized an authority in their niche. While the co-founders are pros at creating engaging video content, they lack the skills needed to make a website and a logo.

Since a YouTube channel alone isn’t going to cut it, they hire the help of a designer and developer hybrid to create a unique brand that will help them stand out from other movie reviewers on the internet.

Not knowing much about hashtags, they avoid Twitter and choose Facebook as their main social media marketing tool. Despite them both having great senses of humor, they keep their Facebook posts informative about their brand to avoid alienating any potential audience members.

As their website and channel begin to take off, they decide to make promotional t-shirts to keep the ball rolling. They utilize their unique logo and a social media icon to help them stand out and let potential viewers know they are also on Facebook.

Handing them out at a local movie convention, people begin wearing the shirts around which attracts an even larger audience. All of a sudden, Super Cool Movie Reviews has become a success!

It might seem like a daunting task, but proper branding and promotion can take your business from zero income to stable salary in just a few months.