4 Questions You Should Ask About Your Branding

Your branding and brand message are the most personal aspects of your business. It is how you are introducing your company to the world. Every company can make their branding great, but arriving at success can be full of questions. You have broad questions like, “Where does my brand fit in the marketplace?” or more specific questions like “Which font to use for my body paragraphs in my website copy?” It’s good to consistently challenge your brand identity and look for ways you can appeal to your target audience. To help, we have listed the 4 main questions you should be asking yourself about your company’s branding.

1. What is my brand’s public sentiment?

You may think you have a really powerful brand image idea that highlights your core values. However, is this what the public sees as well? Many business owners and marketers become stubborn, or even complacent, with their brand image. After all, they likely established the brand’s image themselves, and understand the message they wish to convey. This may fog their view from how their brand is actually perceived.

A great way to collect the general sentiment of your brand is to monitor your social media channels on a daily basis. Social media is providing more and more ways for customers to voice their opinions about the businesses they visit. Make sure you monitor reviews and read comments about your business everyday. Pro tip: Make sure and respond to these comments and reviews too. A little personal customer interaction goes a long way.

2. Is our brand message consistent?

Another element of your branding to measure is consistency. Failing to show consistency in your brand message may cause more than an identity crisis; it may cause customers to lose trust in your brand. If you position your brand as one that will go above and beyond to help the customer, that message as superior customer service should be conveyed in everything you do.

From the moment you begin interacting with the customer, your brand message must be easily identified and consistent throughout all future interactions with that guest. If the customer does not know what to expect from your company each time they interact with it, they may be hesitant to recommend your company to others. Nailing down a consistent brand message improves the customer relationships for your company, and solidifies core values into the very fabric of your business.

3. Are we focusing on bringing value to the customer?

Every good business has something in common. They all bring more value to the customer than the alternatives. It is easy to get so caught up in finding the perfect sell message or the best color scheme that the customer is treated as an afterthought. Some may even think that without perfecting these aspects of their business first, they will never truly be able to please the customer.

It is crucial to remember that above all, your brand needs to bring value to the customer. Aesthetic alterations are important, but you all of that will not matter if you are not actively providing your customer with value. A customer may forget your new tagline, but they will never forget the value you provide them along the way.

Portraying your business the best way you can is important. Many times this means creating a unique brand message, logo and graphic design catalog. Doing this is necessary and separates the great businesses from those who fade away. But a good companies never lose sight of providing value above all else.

4. Does my business need a new identity?

Sometimes it truly is time to look into finding a new brand identity. But before jumping to this conclusion, ask yourself if this is the best course of action. Businesses evolve as new trends and technology are introduced into the world. Will you gain an advantage in the marketplace by changing your brand image to be a part of the latest trends? Has your brand message stood the test of time as technology becomes a more relevant part of our lives? Can you afford to suddenly shift gears in the way your company operates?

Changing your brand identity is a serious undertaking. When one is necessary, it will take the work of experts to put together your new branding. Trust those who are professionals in the branding realm, and choose a firm who will work with you to create the perfect brand image and message. Here is some of the branding work we have done for St. Louis University High.

Take a look at our full catalog of work and let us know how we can help with your branding needs.