There are many key factors to branding success but as long as you’re doing a lot of business, who cares? Why is branding important?

I could re-hash how a branding logo is your business’ first impression and how it should convey the meaning or message of your products or services in a memorable way… but most of us already know this. The online marketing systems that many countries enjoy have enabled the emergence of a plethora of new entrepreneurs, start-ups, and merging conglomerations that crowd one another out. Most internet searches return pages and pages of results… full of businesses ready and willing to provide services. Some of them are applicable to your requirements and some are not. It’s important to make a relevant business stand out, again, in a memorable way… but that doesn’t always depend on the logo.

A brand is comprised of much more than just a logo.

Here’s the magic… a brand is the total sum of your business including products, services, values, and identity. A branding logo is an intangible asset featuring a name and/or design that identifies one seller’s product from another and is often a corporation’s most valued asset. It can be exciting to learn the real meanings behind some of the most recognizable branding logos for employees and customers alike. Your brand is your promise! The logo’s meaning should give pride and direction to the company staff and familiarity as well as relatability to the customer. It’s been estimated that over 60% of people cite shared values as the main reason they have a relationship with a brand. Our logo at Eliyahna Creative features a dragonfly. Dragonflies are sensitive to direction and use the wind’s power to quickly fly to improved environments. As a business, we also direct our efforts toward creating better environments for increased business productivity quickly with improved return on investment. Our dragonfly has changed in design quite a few times over the years but has remained a consistent part of our branding.

Consistency in branding is very important but not at the expense of proper design. If your logo is at least three years old and the design hasn’t been revisited or repolished, you should take a second look at the possibilities that a redesign could afford you. Most times the old content can just be rearranged or altered to provide a brand new “look” and improved or more modern “feel”. Swapping logo designs to fit with every art trend, however, is not recommended. Ask a few strangers and/or consult a professional designer about what kind of impression your design makes to a new viewer. Many logos feature a really outdated look but the owners have become so accustomed to it that they are completely unaware.

The logo is more than that thing on the top left corner of the page.

Many viewing devices such as Apple or Android phones and tablets provide the visitor with a way to save your logo or icon as a quick link back to your website or app. This is where it pays to consider what your logo or logo icon will look like when it’s half the size of a postage stamp. Will it still be recognizable? The best logo options are the ones that provide consistency over every platform at least to the extent that they are highly recognizable at any size. That can mean that you might have to envision it with no text at all. What would be left if you removed the text from your logo? Would the remaining design bring your business to mind right away to return viewers?

We all know it’s great to have both light and dark versions of a logo design available but you should really avoid a black & white logo design. Black is almost always used for text, whether it’s online or in print. As a result, your black logo will fade right in and disappear. The same problem applies to just white. Color increases brand recognition by up to 80%. Colors have different meanings in different cultures and geographical areas so it’s best to choose from those that would be meaningful to your target audience.

A strong, recognizable brand that customers trust helps ensure future business, consistently building the value of your brand and, ultimately, your financial return. Don’t believe that if your reputation precedes you that your name is enough. Without a presentation of your logo to symbolize your company tone, a potential customer will attribute whatever they imagine themselves. There is a modern design principle that states that form follows function. What that means is that a good design should not just attract attention, it should serve a purpose. Color is the most highly recognizable aspect used in branding and big names in business have fought in court over the rights to advertising in certain colors. Colors influence our natural senses the most, followed by shapes, then symbols, then words. At the heart of branding is the promise that is made by the organization to the audience. The brand promise tells the audiences who you are, what you believe in, and what unique value you provide. The ability to fulfill your promises at every stage of the relationship is the defining factor for most organizations’ success or failure.

Even though consumers form an impression about a business within 10 seconds of viewing their logo, it takes 5-7 impressions for someone to remember a branding logo. A consistent presentation is certainly key as well as great customer service. More people buy from businesses they were referred to by a friend or family member than other familiar businesses. For Millennials, 62 percent believe that online content drives their loyalty to a brand. Also, to gain brand loyalty from Millennials, it’s vital to share your content over social media. Almost 90 percent of marketers say their social marketing efforts have increased exposure for their business, and 75 percent say they’ve increased traffic. However, only 32% of small businesses invest in social media marketing. (Social Media Examiner, 2016) So don’t forget to share, share, share!