One of the chief concerns we encounter from new clients is how to prepare for the inevitable changes that will affect their enterprise when they begin constructing a comprehensive business branding strategy.
What follows are three pieces of strategic advice enterprise leaders should consider when beginning the business branding process.
- Expand Your Thinking
Too often, business leaders that initiate a branding strategy are confined to small business thinking. Seeking to save a few pennies on a logo or shortcutting on design elements can compromise the branding process from the start.
Instead, business leaders are best served by imagining the enterprise they want rather than the one they have. In today’s global marketplace the greatest challenge is no longer reaching larger audiences, it is building a brand that can transform those audiences into clients.
- Choose an Effective Brand Name
Since transforming audiences into clients is the primary goal of any business branding strategy, choosing a brand name that resonates with target markets is critical.
The brand name is the fulcrum of the entire branding strategy, and no effort should be spared in finding the perfect brand name that best describes and identifies what your company does best.
- Impressions are Everything
People never get a second chance to make a first impression, and your brand is no different. Visual details, color choices, logo development, and imagery are all important in communicatingthe essence of your enterprise in a single glance.
Once the first impression is made, impression consistency across all media ensures that clients can identify your enterprise in any setting. Maintaining brand guidelines that nail down the specifics of your brand name presentation, color choices, and aesthetic style are an important step in carrying your branding strategy forward.
Ultimately, the success of your business branding effort will be heavily determined by the work you do before your logo and letterhead are even printed.