You’re busy. You spend your days running a company or building a new business—and wearing every hat on the rack in the process. You know that branding is important, but you’re so crunched for time that you’re tempted to take the “easy route”: to pay for a logo or website and call it a day…In other words, to get a brand by default.
Please, we beg of you, don’t succumb to that temptation. It only looks like the simple path. But we promise that if you take this road, your brand and business will suffer.
In the Beginning…
In our last post, we shared that at the heart of all iconic thriving brands are strong brand stories. We talked about what a story is and what it isn’t: It’s not one of your marketing materials. Rather, it’s the narrative that surrounds your company; the “why” of your business that evokes an emotional reaction and sense of connection and loyalty from your audience. It’s the most important part of your brand, your guiding light. Whether you’re rebranding or just launching, it should come first.
Your logo, tagline, website, and marketing materials all help express that brand story. In other words, if they’re to be truly effective in sharing your brand with the world, they can’t be created before you have a solid strategic story to guide the way. Nor can they be created in a vacuum, individually and all on their own. Each element that communicates your brand should inform the other and always, always, always be consistent—within itself and from piece to piece—in terms of approach and messaging. Get a logo one year and a website three years later, and your brand will be anything but coherent.
Simply put, a logo or website—whether new or redesigned—does not a brand make. It’s like putting on sunglasses and saying you’re in disguise, or cutting your hair and telling everyone you’re a totally different person now! They’re just one piece of the puzzle.
The Brand By Design Process
In order to have the brand equity you want and enjoy the success that brings, you need a brand by design—a brand that isn’t an afterthought, but that has been carefully and intentionally crafted, guided by the strategic story. You need a brand that helps you boldly become a new category in the market or carve out your unique place within an existing space.
Whether you go through the branding process on your own or hire an agency, it will involve a bit of work. But it’s time well spent. If you choose an agency, its team members will help make the process painless through an array of services designed to help you build the best brand possible—from charrettes and focus groups to a complete brand strategy and marketing plan.
Here at Storypowered, we work with our clients to uncover their brand story, the emotional message that will shape perception and foster engagement. Then, we align brand and story on the right path. Finally, we craft and execute…from campaign creation to digital marketing to website development, with unwavering consistency across all avenues and purpose behind every choice. To us, that’s powerful branding.
Need help in creating or rebranding? Contact us to set up a free 1 hour brand evaluation.