For a lot of us entrepreneurs one of the big tasks that sits on our to-do list for a long time is branding. Often because we know it’s not a quick task but also because it takes up a lot of brain space and decision making- not something you do when you have 15 minutes spare. But by NOT tackling this big task do we shoot ourselves in the foot and waste more time in the long run?
Yes, I believe we do. By no means does it make it easier to get started with your branding project BUT the longer you leave it, the more time you are wasting.
Creating your brand identity is not a quick process, there’s obviously the whole design process to consider, which you can obviously outsource to a graphic designer. But before you get to the design process there is a whole decision making process to go through. I believe this is what will hold a lot of people back from starting to create their own brand identity.
Making decisions is hard AND it takes up a lot of time and energy.
Time and energy that you probably don’t have when your branding project is somewhere at the bottom of the to-do list. We procrastinate on our branding project according to this article by James Clear. It reads: "we have a tendency to care too much about our present selves and not enough about our future selves. We like to enjoy immediate benefits in the present, especially if the costs of our choices don’t become apparent until far in the future."
Sounds about right, eh? So, in this blog post you will find 4 ways how you can save that precious time in the future by investing in your brand identity now.
What is included in a visual brand identity?
I often get asked to design just a logo, to which my answer would be ‘no, that’s not what I do’. Your brand identity includes so much more than just your logo.
To make sure that your brand visuals are effective you need to be recognisable and being recognisable means you have to be consistent. Being consistent is so much easier when you have more than just a logo designed for you.
The more elements that are included in your branding package the easier (and less time consuming) it can be to create content, add your brand look to your marketing materials and to be more consistent.
Then there’s the strategic part of creating a brand identity. When creating ‘just’ a logo not much time goes into thinking about your brand values, your personality or who your ideal customer is and what they would like to see.
Looking at brand strategy is something I always take into consideration when working on a branding project- that’s where the power of good branding lies.
So what is included in a brand identity? A basic visual brand identity includes:
a main logo
a couple of submarks or logo variations
a full colour palette
a font suite
You can include more options to save you even more time:
illustrated graphics, like icons or patterns
social media templates
branded marketing materials
A full visual brand identity can not only save you time and money but can also create better connections with your ideal audience, make you feel confident in your business and push you to grow your business to the next level.
Why is branding important for growing your small business?
Branding can do so, so much for your small business. Of course one of the main reasons is for your business to look more professional, to have its own identity (this is different from infusing your personality into your brand look).
You can grow your business by investing in branding - it can help you create a look that makes you stand out from the competition. A look that stops people in their tracks and connects with them. By doing that you are likely to be more memorable, so when a potential customer needs what you offer, you are on their mind.
Linking your branding to your strategy can establish a quicker connection with your ideal audience, they are more likely to listen/read what you have to say. And using your new branding consistently means that when your marketing material shows up they know it’s you, they recognise it instantly. Customers are more likely to trust a brand that they recognise.
Looking more professional (by being more consistent and moving away from the DIY branding) means that people are more likely to pay a higher price for your services. All these things can help you to reach your business goals and keep growing your business.
How can branding save time and money?
Of course creating a new brand identity from scratch will take some time and hiring a designer to help you does not get you off the hook. Your input is still required- which means you will have to invest some time into creating your new brand look. But by taking some time now to think about your brand values and strategy you could create brand visuals that will save you time in the long run.
So here are 4 ways strategic branding can save your small business time and money in the long run?
1. The Brand Style Guide - Decision making done for you
When I deliver a new brand identity to my clients I always include a handy Brand Style guide - this handy guide has all the information you need to apply your branding to all of your assets and marketing materials.
Save it on your desktop or even print it out and hang it on the wall next to your desk. The Brand Style Guide will include your logo, any logo variations, your colour palette and referencing hex codes, your font suite and any other visuals that we created for your brand look like patterns or illustrations.
But how does this save me time, I hear you ask. Well, it means that you have everything you need handy when you are creating new marketing materials. You’re not faffing about trying to find the hex code for your colours in Canva. Can’t remember which font to use for your paragraphs- reference your Brand Style Guide. It’s all in a handy sheet ready to be used.
Not only does it save you time it also means that you are much more likely to be consistent in your brand look- all your colours are the same, your fonts are the same and your visuals are the same. Being consistent creates that brand recognition that you are working towards, to build trust with your audience so they feel confident in buying from you.
2. Attract the right people - don’t waste time with people who aren’t a good fit
Working with people that aren’t the right fit can be very energy draining and time consuming. You can easily waste half an hour building up the motivation to start working on their project or writing an email to them. Having that constant feeling of dread and no-energy can seep into other areas of your business, all of a sudden you find that you don’t have the energy to write a blog post, create content or reach out to those people who you would LOVE to work with.
By creating a brand look that is designed to attract your ideal customer, chances are that those people who aren’t a good fit don’t even come knocking on your door.
Your brand identity can be a magnet for the people that fill your cup and repel the people who drain it!
Giving you more energy (and time) to work on growing your dream business.
3. Have your templates at the ready - no starting from scratch
I’m sure you know that feeling of staring at a blank page and having The Fear. You’ll stare at it for (what feels like) hours, put a couple of things on, it doesn’t look good, you delete it and you’re back at staring at the blank page.
With my Full Brand Essentials package your social media templates will be designed in line with your new brand look. I always create these in Canva- so when the joyous day arrives to launch your new brand look you don’t have to spend endless hours creating posts, deciding what visuals to use, which colours to put where and what size your text should be.
You will save all that time as all you have to do is open the template, add what it is that you want to say and download it. No time is taken up by making the decisions that give us the fear of staring at that blank page.
And it doesn’t stop at social media templates- have your training documents, course, brochures, proposals and email templates designed with your new branding. Saving you time AND making you look super professional. Who doesn’t want that?
4. Having a consistent brand
When your business is at the next level, where you have a small team, you outsource work regularly or work with freelancers it can be time consuming to constantly check that what they created is in line with your brand look.
You find you’re constantly having to find and send over the hex codes for that particular colour or the font to use for headings.
Having your brand guidelines handy and easy to find for your team members means that you don’t have to look for these things and send them over all the time. It also means that you don’t have to check if what your team members have created is matching your branding as there is little room for error or going rogue!
So there you have it- 4 ways in which you can save time and money by investing in a full brand identity.
Conclusion
As small business owners we often have too many tasks on our hands, with branding being a task that stays on the to-do list for a while. Starting this task yourself is often put off because it is time consuming and involves a lot of decision making which can take up a lot of headspace. However, leaving your branding on your to-do list can result in wasting more time in the long run.
By investing in your brand identity now, you can free up time and head space when working on your business’ marketing.
A full brand identity design has several benefits when it comes to saving time and money, such as streamlining decision-making processes by having a Brand Style Guide handy at all times. The guide serves as a quick reference for maintaining brand consistency throughout, saving you time and making sure that you stay on brand.
Attracting the right people becomes easier when your brand identity aligns with your ideal customer profile. By repelling incompatible clients, you conserve valuable energy and focus on nurturing relationships with those who resonate with your brand.
And lastly, having readily available templates and guidelines not only speeds up content creation but also ensures consistency, particularly when collaborating with teams or outsourcing work.
Investing in a full brand identity is an investment in your business's efficiency, professionalism, and growth. It's not just about aesthetics; it's about creating a cohesive brand experience that attracts the right audience, propels your business forward and saves time.
So if you are ready to save time (and energy) by creating a bold and high-energy brand identity, that is infused with your personality, connects with your audience and creates a professional look, get in touch by filling in the contact form!
Comments