The Power of Branding Makes You Instantly Recognizable
When you listen to the radio (if you still do) and you hear the opening riff and chords of the songs “Highway to Hell” or “Back in Black,” you don’t need to check which band it is. You know it’s AC/DC. That rough, gritty, and simple guitar tone, the loud and pounding rhythm, the energy is unmistakable and is all so uniquely theirs. That’s not just what makes AC/DC a legendary band – it’s what makes legendary branding for a business. You’re company branding, from the opening riff through the guitar tones and thundering vocals and rhythm section should clearly point to your business and your business only.
Branding Is More Than Just a Logo
Branding goes beyond just your logo, it’s the entire vibe of your businesses. A full brand is much more than just a logo slapped in the top left corner of the flyer or website. It’s a fully planned out and detailed identity of your business. The most successful businesses, large and small, have brands that are instantly recognizable – even when their name isn’t front and center.
Beyond your logo, your brand will include things like:
- Colors – Established colors set the tone and basic visuals of your brand. They should be used consistently in every ad, social media post, digital marketing, marketing collateral and print piece. Just because a new color looks cute doesn’t mean it should be mixed into the brand on a whim.
- Fonts – I can all but promise you Times New Roman and Comic Sans are not your brand fonts. Use the fonts that are tied to your brand. Finding fonts is easy through tools like Google Fonts and other free online sources. Make sure the fonts used are always consistent and match across all platforms and media.
- Imagery – While the images will change (please don’t use just one image on everything), the speed and feel of the images should always reflect back to your brand and who your business is. Disney isn’t about to use a photo of a kid having a bad day in any of their marketing.
- Wording – Is your brand purely strict and business focus? Fun and whimsical? Your tone and words used should be the same from your website content, blogs, social media posts, and even the words you use in networking events.
Going back to AC/DC, you know they’re not going to randomly throw in a jazz saxophone solo in the middle of a song, so don’t throw random off the wall surprises into your brand either.
Build a Brand People Recognize Before Instantly
The real power of branding is that the audience will know it’s your business long before seeing the company name. You’ll know your brand is dialed in and used perfectly when someone can see anything like a social post, flyer, or website and immediately say, “Oh, I know exactly what company that is!” It’s not about being loud or annoying or “in your face” (leave that to AC/DC), it’s about being consistent, memorable, and unmistakably you.
Branding That Rocks
From website to logo design and flyer to networking event and more, your brand should be experienced across the board, the same, time and time again. Don’t go adding a saxophone solo where it’s not needed or switch to Comic Sans or add in a new crazy new color. Stick to the brand that is noticeable and recognizable to your company. Just like you can spot an AC/DC song by the opening riff or first few chords, your brand should be as easily identifiable to your business.
Now for fun, let’s go listen to some classic AC/DC like Highway to Hell or TNT.
