Let’s be honest — branding is one of those buzzwords that everyone talks about but few really understand. Despite the endless articles, videos, and guides out there, most business owners are still left scratching their heads.
If that sounds like you, don’t worry—you’re not alone. We’ve noticed this too, and it’s why we’ve put together what we hope will be the definitive guide to demystifying branding. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll not only know what it is but also how to use it to your advantage.
So, let’s cut through the noise and get to the bottom of it, once and for all. If you've ever wondered "What is branding?" you're in the right place.
Table of Contents
What is a brand?
Let’s clear up one of the biggest misconceptions right off the bat: a brand isn’t just your logo, your color scheme, or a catchy tagline. Sure, those things are part of it, but at its core, a brand is something much deeper. Think of it as the mental label that your customers place on your business and the products or services you’re offering.
When people think about your business, what comes to mind? What do they feel? What do they expect? These thoughts, feelings, and expectations—whether they’re positive or negative—are what truly define your brand.
In other words, your brand lives in the minds of your customers. These perceptions are also where you begin to see the benefits of a strong brand.
Here’s the kicker: your brand isn’t what you say it is; it’s what your customers think it is.
But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you’re powerless. While you can’t control what people think, you can influence it. Every interaction a customer has with your business—from the way your website looks, how your logo looks, to how your customer service team handles a complaint—shapes their perception of your brand.
So, when we talk about branding, we’re really talking about is managing and influencing those perceptions in a way that creates a strong, positive connection between your business and your customers.
What’s the difference between branding vs. marketing?
Marketing and branding are often confused, but understanding the difference is crucial for any business. Simply put, branding is a channel of marketing. While marketing encompasses all activations used to reach potential customers, branding focuses on creating a strong, positive perception of your business.
Direct marketing refers to channels that directly ask potential customers to buy from you. Examples include paid social media ads, Google Ads, and email marketing campaigns. These tactics are straightforward, aiming for quick, measurable actions like clicks or purchases.
Indirect marketing, on the other hand, is about building awareness and fostering a community that is naturally drawn to your business. Channels like public relations, influencer marketing, and SEO are used to shape how people perceive your brand, making them more likely to choose you when they’re ready to make a purchase.
So, while direct marketing asks, “Will you buy this now?” branding aims to attract the right customers to seek us out when they’re ready.
Now, you might be wondering, why even bother with branding? After all, if direct marketing can drive sales quickly, what’s the point of investing time and resources into something more abstract? The answer lies in the long-term value that a strong brand can create—let’s dive into why having a brand matters more than you might think.
Why even have a brand?
In today’s world, where technology and globalization have drastically lowered the barriers to starting a business, the question isn’t just why have a brand—it’s how can you afford not to? Let’s break this down.
Differentiation
With the rise of the information age, starting a business has never been easier. This has led to an explosion of new businesses across the globe, all competing for the same customers.
In most markets, product-focused differentiation simply can’t be sustained in the long term. Why? Because the moment one company finds something that works, others can quickly copy and adapt those features (think tiktok, IG reels, YouTube shorts).
This leaves businesses scrambling to find a competitive advantage that can’t be easily replicated. Enter: a strong brand.
A great example of brand positioning this is Patagonia in the outdoor apparel industry. While countless brands offer high-quality outdoor clothing and gear, Patagonia has carved out a distinct space in the market by resonating deeply with a specific audience—people who are passionate about environmental sustainability and outdoor adventures.
Patagonia’s brand goes beyond just selling jackets or gear; it’s about creating a culture and a lifestyle that speaks directly to its core customers.
Patagonia’s website boldly declares, “Earth is now our only shareholder,” a statement that doesn’t just highlight their commitment to sustainability, but also resonates with environmentally conscious consumers who want to support companies with similar values.
They speak directly to the adventurer at heart with phrases like, “Creating a culture of people who feel more at home in a base camp or on the ocean than they do in the office,” and “Easy is never as fun.” These messages aren’t just about selling products—they’re about fostering a sense of belonging among a community that values rugged individualism and a deep connection to nature.
Even their approach to product design reflects their brand ethos: “Shortcuts aren’t our style—not on the trail, and not in our running gear.” This is more than just a catchy line; it’s a promise of quality and durability that speaks to outdoor enthusiasts who demand the best from their gear. Patagonia’s brand is so strong and so tightly aligned with their audience’s values that it creates a bond competitors struggle to replicate, even if they offer similar products.
Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty is another area where branding plays a crucial role. Without a strong brand, loyalty simply doesn’t exist.
Take the hotel industry as an example. It’s infamous for poor branding—whether you stay at a Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt, or even a Four Seasons, there’s often little to differentiate them besides their logos.
This lack of distinct branding is why most people filter by price when searching for hotels; they simply don’t care about the brand because it doesn’t offer anything unique.
As Seth Godin, the godfather of modern marketing, aptly put it in his blog, “If Nike opened a hotel, I think we would be able to guess pretty accurately what it would be like. If Hyatt came out with sneakers, we'd have no clue at all what they'd be like.” This quote perfectly captures the importance of a strong brand—Nike has a clear identity that resonates with customers, fostering loyalty that goes far beyond the product itself.
Niche Targeting
Finally, purposeful branding allows you to deeply resonate with a specific subset of people. We often observe an inverse relationship between the ability to resonate with people and how niche the target audience is. The more specific your target, the deeper your connection can be.
As Seth Godin highlights, the central idea behind any community is, “People Like Us Do Things Like This.” If your brand can demonstrate a deep understanding of the community you’re trying to reach and serve them well, you can become the only choice in their minds.
Inexperienced business owners often fear targeting too specific of an audience, worrying that they’ll lose out on potential business from a broader market. But here’s the reality: most niche markets are plenty big enough to be profitable. And the more specific the niche, the less competition there is in that space, making it a golden opportunity for brands that can connect on a personal level.
Elements Of A Brand
When we talk about a brand, we’re not just talking about one thing—it’s a combination of several elements that work together to create a cohesive identity. These elements are the building blocks of your brand, shaping how people perceive your business and how you connect with your audience. Let’s break down the core elements of a brand:
Position
Your brand’s position is where you stand in the market and in the minds of your customers, but it’s more nuanced than just picking a spot. There are infinite ways to position your brand—you could be the most sustainable, the most transparent, the most engaged, and so on. However, not all of these brand positioning strategies will resonate with your target audience.
To craft a position that truly helps your brand stand out, you need to first understand what actually matters to your audience in a brand like yours. What do they value most? What problems are they trying to solve? Your brand positioning strategy should address these needs directly.
But it doesn’t stop there. Your position also needs to ladder back to your strategic narrative (which we’ll dive into later in this article). For example, if the reason your wellness brand exists is to promote holistic health and balance, it wouldn’t make sense to position yourself as the most accessible and affordable wellness brand. If you find that the position your target audience values most conflicts with your current strategic narrative, it might be time to revisit and realign your overall strategy.
Crafting a positioning strategy should also take into account the competitive landscape. Once you’ve identified the factors that matter to your customers, it’s essential to understand how your competitors are positioned in relation to these factors. This helps you avoid choosing a position that a competitor has already claimed, which could force you to invest more marketing dollars into trying to win that position later on.
A well-defined position isn’t just about setting yourself apart—it’s about making sure that differentiation is meaningful to your audience and aligned with your brand’s larger story.
Brand Naming
Your brand name is one of the most crucial elements of your identity. It’s often the first thing people encounter, and it carries a lot of weight in shaping their initial impressions. A strong brand name is memorable, resonates with your audience, and encapsulates the essence of what your brand stands for.
There are generally four types of brand names:
Descriptive: These names clearly and straightforwardly convey what the core product or service is all about. For example, “Whole Foods” immediately indicates a focus on natural and unprocessed foods.
Suggestive: These names imply or hint at what the brand does without explicitly stating it. Take “Netflix,” for example—it hints at it being a internet-based (“Net”) movie (“Flix”) subscription, without directly describing it.
Arbitrary: These names don’t have a direct connection to the product, but they evoke a certain feeling or atmosphere associated with the brand. “Apple,” for instance, doesn’t directly relate to technology, yet it suggests simplicity and friendliness.
Coined: These names are invented by combining words or creating new ones, often inspired by the brand’s core values or unique proposition. A name like “Google” is a coined term derived from a misspelling of the word “googol,” which is a mathematical term for ten to the power of a hundred - symbolizing the brand’s mission to organize vast amounts of information.
While no single type of name is inherently superior, the right choice depends on your brand’s needs and the contexts in which your name will appear.
A good brand namer also considers where and how the brand name will be encountered. For instance, if your brand name is likely to spread primarily through word-of-mouth, choosing a descriptive name might not be the best use of this opportunity. Since people will already understand what your brand is about from the context of the conversation, you might benefit more from a suggestive, arbitrary, or coined name that can make a stronger impression or evoke the desired emotions.
Ultimately, the best brand names are those that not only align with your brand’s identity and position but also fit seamlessly into the contexts where they will be encountered by your audience.
Tone of Voice
The tone of voice for your brand is how you speak to your audience. It’s the personality your brand conveys through language—whether that’s playful, serious, authoritative, or friendly.
Your tone should be consistent across all platforms and touchpoints, creating a unified voice that your audience can recognize.
For example, the tone of a luxury brand might be refined and sophisticated, while a tech startup might choose a more casual and innovative tone. The key is to choose a tone that resonates with your target audience and aligns with your brand’s position.
Logo
Your logo is more than just a visual symbol—it's the face of your brand, playing a critical role in how people recognize and remember you. There are various types of logos, with experts identifying anywhere from 4 to 15 different styles. However, we believe there are seven that stand out as the most prominent:
Wordmark: A wordmark is a logo that focuses solely on the name of the brand, using a distinct font or style. Think of brands like Google or Coca-Cola, where the logo is the brand name itself, presented in a memorable typeface.
Lettermark: A lettermark is a logo that uses a series of initials or a monogram to represent the brand. For example, IBM (International Business Machines) benefits from a lettermark logo, which simplifies its lengthy name into something concise and visually distinctive.
Pictorial Mark: This type of logo uses a recognizable image or icon to represent the brand. Examples include Apple’s iconic apple or Twitter’s bird. Pictorial marks are ideal for brands that want to be represented by a single, strong image.
Abstract Mark: Abstract marks are logos that use geometric forms or shapes that don’t directly represent anything but are designed to convey a certain feeling or idea. The Nike swoosh is a classic example, representing movement and speed.
Mascot Logo: Mascot logos incorporate a character or mascot to represent the brand. Think of the KFC Colonel or the Michelin Man. Mascot logos can create a friendly, approachable brand image, often appealing to families and children.
Combination Mark: A combination mark blends a wordmark or lettermark with a pictorial or abstract mark, providing the flexibility of using both together or separately. Examples include Burger King or Doritos, where the text and icon can be used jointly or independently.
Emblem: Emblems are logos where the brand name is encased within a symbol or icon, often resembling a badge or seal. Harley-Davidson’s logo is a perfect example, giving the brand a sense of tradition and authority.
Choosing the right type of logo largely depends on your brand name and the message you want to convey. For instance, a long or complex name like International Business Machines (IBM) benefits from a lettermark logo, simplifying the brand into a recognizable abbreviation. In contrast, a brand with a more straightforward or meaningful name might opt for a wordmark or pictorial mark to make a stronger impression.
When designing a logo, it’s not just about the type—you also need to think about how the design style and color palette convey your brand’s position. Color theory plays a significant role in how your brand is perceived. For example, blue often conveys trust and professionalism, which is why it’s commonly used in tech and finance logos.
But sometimes, there’s a strategic reason behind a color choice that goes beyond traditional color theory.
Take Coca-Cola, for instance—the brand’s iconic red color wasn’t just chosen for its visual appeal. At the time, alcohol was taxed, but soft drinks were not. To help customs and tax officials distinguish its barrels from those containing alcohol, the Coca-Cola Company began painting them red.
This strategic decision not only solved a practical problem but also became a defining characteristic of the brand’s identity.
Ultimately, your logo should be a reflection of your brand’s identity, purpose, and position, all while being versatile and memorable. A well-designed logo is not just a symbol—it’s a powerful tool for communication and recognition in a crowded market.
Expression
Brand expression is how your brand comes to life across all the touchpoints where your audience interacts with it. It’s the combination of your visual identity, messaging, and overall experience that creates a cohesive impression of your brand. Consistency is key here—every interaction should reinforce the same message and feeling, ensuring that your brand is both recognizable and reliable.
Brand expression can manifest in various ways, including but not limited to:
Website: Your website is often the first place people go to learn about your brand. It should reflect your brand’s identity through design, content, and user experience.
Slide Decks: Whether for internal presentations or client pitches, your slide decks should be consistent with your brand’s visual and messaging standards.
Packaging: Packaging isn’t just about protecting your product—it’s a direct touchpoint with your customers and an opportunity to express your brand’s identity, whether through design, materials, or messaging.
Social Media: Your presence on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn should consistently reflect your brand’s voice, visuals, and values.
Advertising: From digital ads to print campaigns, every piece of advertising should reinforce your brand’s message and visual identity.
Messaging: The tone, language, and style of your communication—whether in emails, ads, or social media posts—should consistently express your brand’s personality and values. Clear and consistent messaging helps reinforce your brand identity across all platforms.
Retail Environment: If you have a physical store, the layout, signage, and even the scent can be part of your brand expression, creating an immersive brand experience.
Branded Merchandise: T-shirts, mugs, and other swag aren’t just promotional tools—they’re extensions of your brand that should reflect your identity.
These expressions work together to create a holistic brand experience. Whether someone is browsing your website, opening your product packaging, or seeing your ad in a magazine, they should always get the same sense of what your brand stands for. It’s about creating a unified, memorable brand experience that resonates with your audience and builds trust over time.
What You Need to Do Before Thinking About Branding
Before diving into the exciting world of branding, it’s essential to lay the groundwork. Effective branding isn’t just about creating a cool logo or coming up with a catchy tagline—it’s about building a strong foundation that will support your brand’s growth and success. Here’s what you need to focus on before you start thinking about branding:
Strategic Narrative
Your strategic narrative is the reason your business exists. It’s more than just a mission statement—it’s a promise of a permanent shift in how things are done, offering a new reality that challenges the status quo.
A strong strategic narrative highlights current pain points, raises the stakes, and then presents a new way of doing things that your audience can’t afford to ignore.
This narrative isn’t just fluff—it’s the backbone of your brand’s messaging, communication, and positioning efforts. It sets the stage for how your brand will be perceived and should resonate deeply with both your internal team and your external audience.
In essence, your strategic narrative is the story you tell about why your brand matters in today’s world.
Understanding Your Audience
To craft an impactful brand, you need to understand your audience thoroughly—and this understanding can’t be developed in an echo chamber. You need direct input from the very people you’re trying to reach. This insight typically comes from two types of research: qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative Research involves gathering non-numerical insights that help you understand the underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations of your target audience. This could involve in-depth interviews, focus groups, or open-ended surveys. Qualitative research is excellent for uncovering trends, emotions, and pain points that might not be immediately apparent.
Quantitative Research, on the other hand, involves gathering numerical data that can be measured and analyzed statistically. This could involve structured surveys with a large sample size, where you ask your audience specific questions to validate the trends and insights you uncovered during the qualitative research phase. Quantitative research helps you confirm whether the trends identified are widespread or if they’re specific to a particular group.
Usually, you’ll want to start with qualitative research to explore the landscape and then move on to quantitative research to validate your findings. This approach ensures that you have a well-rounded understanding of your audience, allowing you to craft a brand that truly resonates.
Is Branding Even Worth the Investment?
Before you start investing time and resources into branding, it’s crucial to ask: is branding even worth it for your specific business? As mentioned in the “Why Even Have a Brand” section, most markets can significantly benefit from a strong brand in various ways. However, there are exceptions.
For instance, if you’re in the business of selling commodities like lumber to lumber mills, branding might not make a significant difference—after all, wood is wood, regardless of who it’s purchased from. In such cases, the only real value a brand might offer is showcasing environmental sustainability practices to appeal to investors.
Similarly, if you’re operating in an oligopolistic market, where a few major players control 70-80% of the market share—like in the case of cell service providers, banks, or gasoline companies—your focus might be less on building a unique brand and more on differentiating slightly from the existing competitors. In these scenarios, branding might still matter, but it may not require the same level of investment and effort as it would in a more competitive or consumer-driven market.
In summary, before you decide to invest, ensure that it’s the right move for your business. If your market conditions suggest that branding could give you a competitive edge, then it’s worth investing in. But if your business falls into one of these exceptions, you might want to reconsider how much time and effort you allocate to building a brand.
Importance of Branding
Sphere of Influence
As we’ve discussed earlier, branding is the mental perception your customers have of your business. It’s how they think, feel, and talk about your brand. To intentionally shape this perception, your brand must be integrated into every customer-facing aspect of your business. This includes your:
Website
Employee uniforms
Retail store layouts
Packaging
External communications
and even down to the email signature. Every touchpoint a customer has with your brand should consistently reinforce the image you want to project.
But branding isn’t something that can be led by just one department or person—it has to be an organization-wide initiative. Your brand’s identity and values must be effectively communicated across all staff, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and fully invested in delivering a consistent brand experience. Without this collective buy-in, the message your brand sends can become fragmented, leading to a diluted or confused perception in the marketplace.
What Good Branding Can vs. Cannot Do
Good branding can work wonders for your business, but it’s important to recognize both its power and its limitations.
Can Do | Cannot Do |
Build Recognition: A strong brand makes your business instantly recognizable, helping you stand out in a crowded market. | Replace Poor Products or Services: Even the best branding can’t save a bad product. Branding can enhance and elevate your offering, but it can’t compensate for fundamental flaws in quality or service. |
Establish Trust: Consistent and professional branding builds credibility and trust with your audience. People are more likely to do business with a brand they recognize and trust. | Guarantee Immediate Success: Branding is a long-term investment. It takes time to build recognition and trust, so don’t expect instant results. |
Create Emotional Connections: Good branding goes beyond just functional benefits; it taps into emotions, creating a deeper connection with customers. This emotional bond can foster loyalty and turn customers into advocates. | Work Without Internal Alignment: As mentioned earlier, branding needs to be embraced by everyone within the organization. If your internal culture doesn’t align with your brand, the disconnect will be apparent to your customers. |
Command Premium Pricing: Strong branding allows you to differentiate yourself from competitors and justify higher prices. When customers connect with your brand on an emotional level, they’re often willing to pay more because they see your brand as part of their identity. | Fix Fundamental Business Problems: Branding is not a cure-all. It can’t fix issues like poor management, operational inefficiencies, or a lack of innovation. |
Support Marketing Efforts: A well-defined brand can make your marketing efforts more effective by providing a clear, consistent message that resonates with your target audience. |
Consequences of Poor or No Branding
In today’s global market, having a unique product or service isn’t enough to secure long-term success.
The reality is that unless you’re among the 6% of businesses in OECD countries protected by a patent, your unique offerings can be easily copied or iterated upon by competitors.
If you’re not using the time bought by your competitive advantage to solidify your brand, you risk losing that advantage entirely. Without a strong brand, you might find yourself in a constant battle to create new competitive edges, spending more time, budget, and effort than necessary.
Additionally, poor or nonexistent branding can make your business susceptible to the “filter by price” phenomenon. Consider brands like Lululemon, Supreme, Apple, or Starbucks—they’re able to charge a premium not just because of the quality of their products, but because of what those brands represent. These brands have become synonymous with certain lifestyles or identities, allowing them to command higher prices.
For example, someone who buys an exotic car might never fully use its performance capabilities. But owning that particular brand of car says something about who they are—it’s a statement about their identity.
People aren’t just paying a higher price for the product; they’re paying to reinforce or project their self-image. And because identity is an ongoing, fluid process, they’ll continue buying these products to maintain or enhance that image.
Without a strong brand, your business risks becoming just another option in the red sea of choices—forced to compete on price rather than value, and missing out on the deeper, more profitable connections that a well-crafted brand can create.
Industries that are Most vs. Least Impacted by Branding
Branding can be a game-changer for many businesses, but its impact varies significantly across different industries. In some sectors, a strong brand is essential to success, while in others, it may play a more secondary role.
Most Impacted by Branding
Certain industries rely heavily on branding to differentiate themselves, build customer loyalty, and command premium pricing. These industries include:
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Technology
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Health & Wellness
Retail
Finance
Automotive
Hotels
Common Characteristics: These industries often have highly competitive markets, where differentiation is key to success. Consumers in these sectors make purchasing decisions based on brand perception, lifestyle alignment, and emotional connection. Branding plays a crucial role in building trust, commanding premium pricing, and creating a loyal customer base.
Least Impacted by Branding
On the other hand, some industries don’t rely as heavily on branding, where operational efficiency, technical expertise, or market positioning play a more dominant role:
Education
Professional Services
Entertainment
Mining
Tourism
Transportation
Telecommunications
Common Characteristics: Industries in this category tend to focus more on technical capabilities, operational efficiency, and functional outcomes rather than emotional connection or lifestyle alignment. Industries where the key differentiator is talent or people also belong in this category. In these sectors, branding takes a backseat to factors like cost, quality, and reputation based on tangible results.
It Depends
In some industries, the impact of branding can vary widely depending on specific circumstances:
Manufacturing
Restaurants
Real Estate
Medical
These industries can be influenced by branding depending on the specific market segment or business model. For some businesses within these sectors, branding is crucial for differentiation and customer loyalty, while for others, factors like expertise, location, or pricing may be more influential.
Now, hopefully after reading up to this point, you have a clearer idea of whether or not branding can be useful for your business. If you’re considering investing in branding, you’re in luck. In the next section, we’ll discuss what to expect from the branding process and other essential things you should know.
So, Jonathan Knowles, the Founder of Type 2 Consulting, put together a list based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The right-most column shows the percentage of each industry’s brand value relative to the total brand value across all 20 industries.
To put it simply, brand value is a way to measure how much your brand is worth in dollars. Think of it like this: brand value is basically the cost it would take to build a completely new brand from scratch and get it to the same level as your current one.
Why does this matter? Because brand value gives us a pretty good clue about how important branding is in different industries. If companies are pouring money into branding, it’s because they expect a solid return on that investment.
How Much Does Branding Cost?
Let’s talk money—because when it comes to branding, the costs can vary widely depending on whether you need branding for startups or corporate branding, as well as who you’re working with. Here’s a breakdown of the average cost range for some of the most common corporate branding services:
Positioning: $3,000 - $10,000
This might seem like a big range, but here’s why: Positioning often requires customer insights or data to support it. If you already have this information on hand, you’re likely looking at the lower end of that spectrum. But if you need in-depth research to really understand your market and target audience, the cost goes up. Essentially, the more detailed and comprehensive the research, the more it’s going to cost you.
Brand Messaging: $3,000 - $6,000
Brand messaging is all about how you communicate who you are and what you stand for. The cost here depends on what you’re looking for in terms of deliverables.
Sometimes it’s as simple as a single page in a corporate brand book, but other times it might involve developing a full external and internal messaging framework.
If you’re a startup looking to establish your voice, you might be on the lower end. But if you’ve just gone through multiple mergers and acquisitions and need to align messaging across the board, be prepared to invest more.
Logo Design: $100 - $5,000
This is one area where you can really see the difference in price and quality. You can find freelancers who’ll design a logo for as little as $100, but if you’re looking to work with an established agency, expect to pay up to $5,000. The key difference? A good freelancer can create a logo that looks great, but an agency brings the expertise to ensure your logo not only looks good but also effectively communicates your brand’s identity.
Visual Identity: $3,000 - $7,000
When it comes to your visual identity—things like color schemes, typography, and overall design language—the price range can vary based on the depth of thought and strategy that goes into it. Agencies on the higher end should be able to provide you with multi-faceted reasons for the choices they recommend, going beyond just basic color theory to really tie everything back to your brand’s positioning and values.
Naming: $1,000 - $12,000
Naming might seem simple, but it’s one of the most challenging and creative aspects of branding. The premium you pay is largely for the creativity of the agency. On the lower end, you’ll get a name that’s relevant, free of trademark issues, and has an available domain. On the higher end, you’re paying for a name that’s not only all of the above but also memorable, meaningful, and aligned with your brand’s strategic narrative.
Web Design: Costs Vary Widely
When it comes to web design, the costs can vary too greatly depending on what you need for any meaningful range to be provided here. Functionality, website size, and content all play a big role in determining the price. However, be prepared to spend at least $3,000 for a functional and decent-looking site. And if you’re looking for something more complex or feature-rich, the price tag can go up significantly.
How to Determine What Elements of Branding You Need to Invest In
So, how do you figure out which of these elements are worth investing in for your business? The key is to start by assessing where you are and where you want to go.
Consider Your Business Goals: What are you trying to achieve? If your goal is to enter a competitive market, investing in strong positioning and brand messaging might be critical. If you’re looking to rebrand and appeal to a new audience, a fresh visual identity and possibly a new name could be the priority.
Evaluate Your Current Brand Assets: Take stock of what you already have. Do you have a logo that works but messaging that’s outdated? Is your website functional but doesn’t reflect your brand’s personality? Identifying these gaps will help you determine where to focus your resources.
Understand Your Audience’s Needs: What does your target audience care about most? If they’re highly visual, a strong logo and visual identity might be more impactful than other elements. If they’re looking for a trustworthy and reliable partner, clear and consistent brand messaging might be your best investment.
Align with Your Strategic Narrative: Every branding element should support your strategic narrative—the story you’re telling about why your business exists and how it’s different from the rest. If an element doesn’t contribute to this narrative, it might not be worth the investment right now.
Budget Realistically: Finally, consider your budget. Branding is an investment, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Prioritize the elements that will have the most impact and make a phased plan for addressing the others over time.
In the end, the best branding investments are the ones that align with your business goals, resonate with your audience, and reinforce your strategic narrative. By being strategic about where you allocate your resources, you can build a brand that stands out without overspending.
How Long Will It Take Before I See Results of Branding?
One of the most common questions business owners have about branding is, "How long will it take before I start seeing results?" It’s a fair question—after all, branding is an investment of time, money, and resources, so it’s natural to want to know when you’ll start reaping the benefits. The answer, however, isn’t always straightforward. Let’s break it down.
The Short Answer: It Depends
Branding is not a quick fix or an overnight success story. The timeline for seeing results can vary widely depending on several factors, including the current state of your brand, the industry you’re in, your target audience, and the specific branding elements you’re focusing on.
Immediate Effects: Weeks to a Few Months
Some branding efforts can yield noticeable changes fairly quickly. For example, if you’re rebranding with a new logo, updated messaging, or a redesigned website, you might start seeing increased engagement or improved perception within weeks or a few months of launching these changes. These immediate effects can include:
Increased Web Traffic: A well-executed rebrand or new website can attract more visitors, especially if paired with a strategic marketing push.
Enhanced Customer Engagement: Fresh, compelling messaging and visuals can reinvigorate your current customer base, leading to more interactions and positive feedback.
Stronger Internal Alignment: A clear and consistent brand identity can quickly improve internal morale and ensure that your team is aligned with your brand’s mission and values.
Mid-Term Results: 6 to 12 Months
For more substantial and sustained results, expect to wait six months to a year. During this period, you’ll start to see:
Improved Brand Recognition: As your new branding becomes more familiar to your audience, your brand’s recognition will increase, helping you stand out in a crowded market.
Building Trust and Loyalty: Consistent branding helps build trust over time. Customers need repeated, positive interactions with your brand before they develop loyalty.
Measurable Business Growth: You might begin to see measurable growth in areas like sales, customer acquisition, and market share as your branding efforts take hold.
Long-Term Impact: 1 Year and Beyond
The true power of branding is seen in the long term. It takes time to build a strong brand that resonates deeply with your audience and creates lasting value. After a year or more, you can expect to see:
Deep Customer Loyalty: Over time, your branding can create a community of loyal customers who not only prefer your brand but also advocate for it.
Premium Pricing Power: A strong brand allows you to command higher prices, as customers perceive more value in your products or services.
Market Leadership: Long-term branding efforts can position your business as a leader in your industry, setting you apart from competitors and driving sustained growth.
Patience Pays Off
It’s important to remember that branding is a marathon, not a sprint. While you may start seeing some positive changes relatively quickly, the most significant results often take time to develop. Patience and consistency are key. The brands that stand the test of time are those that have invested in their identity and nurtured it over the long haul.
If you’re just starting on your branding journey or going through a rebranding process, set realistic expectations for when you’ll see results. Keep in mind that the efforts you put in today are planting the seeds for tomorrow’s success. Stay committed, and over time, your branding will pay off in ways that go far beyond just the bottom line.
How Do I Measure the Effectiveness of Branding?
So, you’ve decided to invest time, money, and effort into building your brand. But how do you know if it’s actually working? Measuring the effectiveness of branding can be tricky, but there are several key indicators that can help you gauge how well your brand is resonating with your audience and impacting your business.
Branded Search Term Volume
One of the simplest and most direct ways to measure brand effectiveness is by tracking the volume of branded search terms.
This refers to how often people are searching for your brand specifically, rather than generic terms related to your products or services.
An increase in branded search volume indicates that more people are becoming aware of your brand and actively seeking it out. It’s a clear sign that your branding efforts are driving recognition and interest.
Brand Perception/Share of Voice Surveys
Understanding how your brand is perceived in the market is crucial. Share of Voice (SOV) surveys can help you determine your brand’s presence in comparison to competitors.
These surveys measure how much your brand is being mentioned in conversations, media, and online platforms relative to others in your industry. Positive changes in brand perception and an increasing share of voice suggest that your branding is successfully shaping public opinion and increasing your brand’s influence.
You might want to consider setting aside a budget of $1,000-$2,000 for this during your budget planning.
Reviews
Customer reviews can offer valuable insights into your brand’s effectiveness, but it’s important to approach them with a nuanced perspective. Reviews don’t always tell the full story, especially if your brand isn’t positioned correctly.
For example, we once worked with a client who suffered from low review scores—not because the product was poor, but because it was being evaluated as a low-end premium product rather than the high-end budget product it was intended to be. When a brand is well-positioned and that position is effectively communicated, reviews often improve because customers’ expectations are better aligned with the brand’s offerings.
Media Coverage
Media coverage is another strong indicator of branding success. Are reputable publications and influencers talking about your brand?
Positive media attention can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and credibility. Monitoring how often and in what context your brand is mentioned in the media can help you assess the impact of your branding efforts.
If you’re seeing an uptick in media coverage, it’s a good sign that your brand is making waves.
Conversions
Conversions—whether they’re sales, sign-ups, or another desired action—are often the ultimate goal of any business investment.
However, measuring conversions as a direct result of branding can be challenging. Branding typically influences conversions indirectly by building trust, recognition, and emotional connections over time.
That said, there are scenarios where you can directly attribute increases in conversions to branding activities.
For instance, if you notice a higher rate of prospects agreeing to meet with your outbound sales reps after a rebranding campaign, or if your organic website traffic spikes without any other marketing efforts driving it, branding is likely playing a significant role.
A Holistic Approach to Measurement
No single metric can fully capture the effectiveness of your branding efforts. Instead, take a holistic approach by combining these different indicators to get a clearer picture of how your brand is performing. Remember, branding is a long-term investment, and it's true value often becomes apparent over time. By regularly monitoring these key metrics, you can fine-tune your branding strategy and ensure it continues to drive the results you’re aiming for.
What You Need to Do Once You’ve Fleshed Out Your Brand
Congratulations! You’ve taken the time to strategically and visually flesh out your brand, giving it a strong foundation. But the work doesn’t stop here. The next crucial step is to effectively communicate your brand through brand expression, ensuring that every touchpoint reflects the identity you’ve carefully crafted.
Communicate Your Visual Identity
Now that you’ve established your brand’s visual identity—think logos, color schemes, typography, and overall design—it’s time to make sure these elements are consistently applied across all customer-facing touchpoints. This includes your website, packaging, staff uniforms, signage, and any other places where your brand interacts with your audience. Consistency is key. Your visual identity should create a seamless experience for customers, reinforcing your brand’s message and making it instantly recognizable no matter where they encounter it.
Understand the Role of Brand Messaging
It’s important to remember that brand messaging is not the same as copy. provides the blueprint—the strategic foundation—that guides how your brand communicates its value, purpose, and personality. But to truly connect with your audience, you need the magic of skilled copywriting to bring that messaging to life. Copywriting translates your brand messaging into engaging, persuasive, and impactful content that resonates with your audience, whether it’s on your website, in marketing materials, or through social media.
Get Your Internal Team Onboard
A brand is only as strong as the people who represent it. Once your brand is fully developed, it’s essential to ensure that your internal team is not only aware of the new brand but also fully onboard with it.
This means clearly communicating the changes, the reasons behind them, and how each team member plays a role in bringing the brand to life. If your branding has been done well, there should be very little friction in adopting these changes. When your team understands and believes in the brand, they’re more likely to embody its values and convey a consistent message to your customers, creating a stronger and more unified brand experience.
Rebranding
Rebranding can be a powerful tool for revitalizing a business, but it’s essential to understand what it entails and when it’s necessary. Let’s break down the difference between branding and rebranding, and explore when you should consider taking the leap into a rebranding effort.
What is the Difference Between Branding and Rebranding?
Branding is the process of creating and establishing a brand’s identity from the ground up. It’s all about defining who you are, what you stand for, and how you want to be perceived by your audience. Branding involves crafting your brand’s positioning, messaging, visual identity, and overall personality. It’s the foundation upon which your business builds its reputation and connects with customers.
Rebranding, on the other hand, involves taking an existing brand and making significant changes to its identity. This could mean updating your logo and visual identity, refining your brand messaging, repositioning your brand in the market, or even changing the name of your business.
Rebranding is often a response to changes in the market, shifts in your business strategy, or the need to overcome challenges that the current brand identity can no longer adequately address. Essentially, rebranding is about evolving your brand to better align with new goals, audiences, or market conditions.
When Should You Consider Rebranding?
Rebranding is not a decision to be taken lightly—it requires significant time, effort, and resources. However, there are certain situations where rebranding might be the right move for your business:
Market Changes: If your industry or market has undergone significant changes, and your current brand no longer reflects the realities of the market, rebranding may be necessary. This could include shifts in consumer behavior, new competitors, or technological advancements that make your current brand feel outdated or irrelevant.
Business Evolution: If your business has evolved beyond its original scope—perhaps by expanding into new markets, launching new products, or adopting a new business model—your existing brand might not fully capture who you are today. Rebranding can help you realign your brand with your current business objectives and ensure that it resonates with your target audience.
Mergers or Acquisitions: When two companies merge or one company acquires another, rebranding is often necessary to unify the brands and create a cohesive identity that reflects the strengths and values of the combined entity.
Negative Perception: If your brand has been associated with negative perceptions or has suffered reputational damage, rebranding can be a way to rebuild trust and shift public perception. This could involve a complete overhaul of your brand’s visual identity, messaging, and positioning to distance the brand from its past issues.
Outdated Brand Identity: Over time, even the most successful brands can start to feel outdated. If your brand’s visual identity, messaging, or positioning no longer resonates with your target audience or feels out of touch with current trends, rebranding can breathe new life into your business and keep you relevant in a fast-changing market.
Misalignment with Audience: If your brand’s identity is attracting the wrong audience or your messaging isn’t resonating as it should, it might be time to consider a rebrand. Aligning your brand more closely with your ideal customer can help improve engagement, loyalty, and ultimately, sales.
Moving Forward
Rebranding is a significant undertaking, but when done for the right reasons, it can provide a fresh start and help your business stay competitive and relevant. Whether it’s adapting to a changing market, evolving your business, or addressing negative perceptions, rebranding offers the opportunity to redefine who you are and how you connect with your audience. If you’re considering rebranding, it’s crucial to approach it strategically, ensuring that the new brand identity is well-aligned with your long-term goals and resonates deeply with your target audience.
Conclusion: Clarifying the Path Forward
Branding can often feel like a murky and confusing subject, with so much conflicting advice and opinions out there. Our goal with this article was to cut through the noise and provide as much clarity as possible about this often misunderstood industry. We wanted to break down the complex elements of branding in a way that’s straightforward and accessible, so you can make informed decisions for your business.
We’ve strived to present this information as objectively as possible, with the intention of helping you understand what branding truly entails and whether it’s something your business should invest in. This isn’t about pushing any particular agenda or selling you on the idea of branding—it’s about giving you the tools and knowledge you need to evaluate branding on your own terms.
Whether you’re just starting out, considering a rebrand, or simply trying to understand the role branding plays in your industry, we hope this article has served as a valuable resource. Branding is a powerful tool, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. Ultimately, the decision to invest in branding should be based on a clear understanding of your business goals, your market, and the value a strong brand can bring.
Thank you for taking the time to explore this topic with us. We hope you leave with a clearer sense of what branding is, what it can do, and how it might fit into your business strategy moving forward.
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