Business Branding – Why You Need It and How to Start

If you are the owner of a small store, you may be inclined to think that business branding is not for you. After all, the brands that you easily recognize are those of large companies with large marketing teams and even larger budgets. As for you, you only want to get your business off the ground and make a living – so branding is surely a detail.

Sadly, you’re wrong.

Branding is one of the most important part of every business, and a vital one. With fierce competition in every business environment, being recognizable and making an emotional connection with your customers is essential.

So why is branding necessary whether you are a large national franchise or a small local ice-cream shop? First, remember that branding is a strategy that encompasses all aspects of how your business appears to your customers. This includes not only your logo or message, but your whole interior design.

Your brand represents you as a unique business with something special to offer, while making your business philosophy clear. It is the face that you show to the world, and the way your customers perceive you. This indirect communication with your clients, in which you let them know exactly what they can expect from you, spares them some painful guessing and wins their appreciation.

Branding also makes you stand out among your competitors. By having a clear message and a recognizable brand, you make a stronger impact on your customers than the neighboring business, confused about its identity and unremarkable in its generic interior design. A strong brand, much like a confident person, is highly convincing. It tells your clients that the quality of your services or products is high and that you deserve their interest.

Finally, do not forget the emotional response you want from your customers. A business message clearly stated through all elements of branding – from logo fonts to the color of your wall accent – can influence the way they feel. Whether the response you are going for is feeling energized, cool, pampered or relaxed, an experience strongly connected to an emotion is much more likely to become memorable.

If you have taken the wise decision to work on branding or rebranding your business, here are three things to consider.

Be consistent

First, all your branding elements need to be in tune with each other and create a coherent face to the world. That means, for example, that your style has to be reflected in both your logo and your interior design. A cool logo over a tired, outdated space will not cut it, nor will playful fonts and jumpy letters over a sophisticated dining space.

This is why it is very important that you know exactly who you are as a business. Is what you offer cool or elegant? Laid-back or sophisticated? Relaxed or energizing? These descriptive worlds will guide you through the process of creating a believable and efficient brand.

Be professional

Don’t get tempted by going cheap when it comes to signage. This is a key visual element that needs to be treated with all the attention it deserves. Your outdoor signage is what potential customers see first, so professional help is a must. A designer will know how to create a signage that relates to all the other branding elements such as logo and overall style, and make it look convincing, appealing and clean.

Create a mood board

A mood board is a collection of images, colors, fonts and words that summarizes your branding concept. It is an important tool to have when you start a new business or when you are ready to remodel your current space. The mood board will help you visualize your message and make it easier to choose the right elements for your interior design, such as the style of your furniture or the color of your walls.

Having such a visual aid in creating your space ensures that you remain true to your branding idea and that your entire branding strategy is clear and cohesive.

Please take a look at our Before and After images of selected projects from 2018 HERE.

If you are thinking to open up a new business or in a process of rebranding and remodeling your existing business, contact us to get a free consultation from Mindful Design Consulting. Click HERE to price your project design.

Also, take a look at “Branding By Interior” e-book, the only book written on this subject at this time. It brings insight on how you can turn your business into a market-dominating competitor by using human cognitive responses.