The importance of consistent branding cannot be understated for any business – especially one that’s just starting out.
A brand is, in layman’s terms, what people say about your company when you’re not around. Believe it or not, your brand is so much more than fonts and colors. Many companies don’t realize this, which can lead to confusing consumer messaging and unflattering opinions.
What Branding Encompasses
Sure, your branding palette will consist of your logo, submarks, primary and secondary typeface, as well as primary and secondary (or even tertiary) colors. Those things are quantifiable and easy enough to stick to – in theory, anyway.
However, in less quantifiable terms, your brand is also your vibe. That vibe is communicated through the colors, fonts, shapes, and materials you use. We touch on this a bit in our post about color psychology, as well as our business card post.
Have you ever looked at a business card, and just based off of looking at it, thought, “Hahaha I can’t afford this”? That company has (hopefully accurately) put forth a brand that conveys a premium product or service. Alternatively, you’ve probably looked at a business card, item of clothing, or menu and thought, “Wow this looks cheap.” In most cases, a cheap brand isn’t great. People associate ‘cheap’ with ‘low-quality.’ Your designer can help you curate a brand that screams “affordable,” or “great value,” without looking “cheap.”
Consistent Branding
A slip in branding presentation can have big, unintended consequences. In an effort to cut costs and increase their bottom line, it’s tempting for young businesses to cut marketing budgets or downgrade their services. These downgrades can look like moving from a professional design company to a college student freelancer. Or changing your gift bags from custom made, durable totes to bulk-bought restaurant to-go bags. However, today’s consumer is highly intelligent and sensitive to brand changes.
If your professionally done website is ported over to Wix, the change is usually visible. If you used to get professionally produced marketing materials and now you’re printing your service menus out on run of the mill printer paper, clients notice that as well. Especially if these changes coincide with rising prices. As a result, they’ll assume one (or both. Yikes) of two things: your establishment/company is under new ownership, or you’re hurting for cash.
Neither one of these are assumptions you want clients to make about your company. Both reduce trust in your business. It instills a fear that the quality of goods/services is going to decrease, while pushing increased costs onto them. You may ultimately survive the fear, but you risk once-loyal clientele shopping around. Consumers want to support businesses that have instilled trust in their quality and consistency in pricing. Businesses convey this message by continuing to invest in a consistent branding image.
Downgrading Services
In a time of ever-increasing prices, loyalty to any given brand is waning. Customers are shopping for products and services that perform consistently without gouging them price-wise. That’s not to say they’re unwilling to pay for a premium product – it’s simply to say that quality for money spent is more important than ever.
That goes for your business as well. We’re certainly not saying you need to overspend only to underperform. You certainly don’t want to do that month after month. If you feel as though a service is too expensive, you absolutely should shop around to find one that gives you more bang for your buck.
First, we recommend speaking with your current contacts and discussing the problem you’re having. Is it price? Is it value? Is it that you’re not truly sold on the product? In a competitive market, they may be willing to throw in extra perks or offer a discount in order to keep your business.
If that doesn’t achieve a result you’re happy with, evaluate what you’re looking for. Be honest with yourself about whether or not you’re asking for something reasonable. Then consider where your clients will forgive (or even miss) a downgrade. You may be able to cut costs on items that don’t client-face at all to maintain consistent branding.
Lastly, ultimately consider your brand image. As you consider changes in your marketing materials, website, and small items such as gift bags, come up with solutions that maintain your branding while still benefiting you. Maybe you start with screen printing shirts instead of embroidering them, rather than dropping branded shirts altogether. Maybe you consolidate 2 pages from your website instead of porting over to Wix. There are so many possibilities to save money without sacrificing branding consistency.
Consistent Branding Bottom Line
Any designer worth their salt can problem solve with you to find solutions that are affordable while still elevating your brand. At Polarity Design Team, we pride ourselves on quality, value-packed work and our creative prowess at maintaining brand integrity without bleeding your bank account dry. When you need to be part of a team for your brand, you know where to find us!
