your logo is not your brand, and here's why...

Collaborating with a designer to carefully craft a custom logo for your business is the ideal entry point when investing in your brand development.  But wait... this shouldn’t be where the story ends.

Did you know, your business brand extends well beyond your logo?  It extends beyond the fonts you use, your colour palette, your graphics.  It even extends beyond your overall visual aesthetic.  While these are all contributors, your brand is the sum of all parts.  The full, emotive story.  The feelings evoked and the feelings which linger when any person (returning client, new lead or somewhere in between) encounters it and how they would describe it to a friend.  This connection is where your brand thrives and it’s built on a foundation of consistency and depth across all consumer touch-points (think: web, social media, printed stationery, the language used, staff interaction).

Successful branding conjures an emotional response and, simply put, people buy with their hearts.  A beautiful logo might pique interest, but without a purposeful, consistent brand to support it, an alluring design alone will only carry you so far.  It can also only convey part of your brand story, and trust me when I say, your audience wants to see the full picture!  An emotionally invested market will feel a level of understanding and relatability with your brand, often well before they’ve made any direct contact.

Think past how you want your logo to look, beyond colour schemes and whether you’re a serif or a script kinda gal and consider how you want your audience to feel.  How you can take them on a journey of sentiments and what sets your individual story apart from your competitors?  This is what converts leads into customers; customers into return customers; and return customers into those very special kinda shiny people who leave you five-star glowing reviews, send you heartfelt thank you notes (maybe with chocolates), connect you with other special shiny people and, most importantly, see the true value of your service.

So now we’ve discussed the importance of building a solid brand for your business, beyond just a pretty face (read: logo), are you confident with your current branding?  Or maybe it needs a little refinement?  Is your target market connecting with your story as well as you’d like?  I’d love to hear from you!