Sometimes companies make the mistake of thinking, if they have a great company logo, they’ve done all they need to do in terms of branding. Your logo represents your brand, but it is not, in fact, your brand. In this post, we’ll discuss what your brand is, why it’s important, and why having a good logo is not enough.
What is a brand?
Your brand is everything connected with your company, from the way employees interact with customers — whether in person, over the phone or on social media — to the customer experience and the presentation of your store. Everything associated with your business is part of your brand.
Your call to action is your brand. If your call to action is vague or unclear, that becomes part of your brand.
Your customer service is part of your brand. A friendly voice eager to help, who demonstrates that they value the customer, becomes part of a company’s brand. An example of good branding through customer service is Chewy.com, an online pet supplies company. Their logo isn’t particularly clever or exciting — simply stylized text — but their customer service is outstanding. Prices are good, shipping is fast, and a call to customer service is immediately answered by a human — no endless voicemail trees — who resolves issues quickly. As a result, when a customer sees the Chewy logo, they associate it with a positive experience, and it’s the company’s brand.
Why is your brand important?
Your brand is far more than a logo. Your brand part of everything your company does. That makes it vital to focus on constantly improving your brand. It defines both your business itself as well as people’s perception of your company. Branding builds credibility and trust. It also generates new customers. Even satisfied customers can’t refer a friend to your company if they can’t remember your name. For example, if your company makes a great body wash and your customer wants to recommend it to a friend, she needs to be able to remember the name. When you improve your brand, it helps make your company memorable.
Why not just focus on a logo?
Your logo is important. It’s the visual representation of your brand. But your logo is not your brand. You might have a visually stunning logo, but if your reputation and customer experience are not positive, your logo will not represent your company in a positive way. Without connecting your logo to a pleasant shopping experience, quality products, and good customer service, your logo will be meaningless — or worse, will take on a negative association. If your company fails to follow through on promises or sells inferior products, that will become part of your brand and will be associated with your logo.
Yes, a great logo is important, but remember that it’s only a piece of the whole picture. Understanding what your brand is and why it’s important should be a basic element of your business strategy. Focus on ways to improve your brand to ensure that, when people see your logo, they see the brand it represents in a good light.
