INSIGHTS

It’s in our nature to be positive at Hutch studios so we normally post about the benefits of a strong brand or marketing strategy. But today we wanted to discuss the common mistakes that can be made when building a brand and growing a business. It’s as important to focus on these as it is on the benefits so we can ensure you avoid making these mistakes in your business.

Here are our top 5 common mistakes we see being made when it comes to business branding – there are more, but 5 is enough to focus on!

1 . Not having a solid Brand Strategy

Not having a clearly defined strategy can have a detrimental impact on your business, and please bare in mind your business plan is not your brand strategy, as many people can think (Your business plan focuses more on how your business will succeed in the market, whereas brand strategy focuses more on how your brand is perceived by clients). If you don’t spend time defining your brand strategy you may end up spending more money, taking more time and making more mistakes as you work towards your goals.

Having a strong brand strategy can help make important business decisions, it encourages you to look at the bigger picture and ensures consistency between your vision, products/services and customer experience. It’ll provide insights into how you can engage clients, develop other services and attract the right employees.

Having a strong brand identity isn’t just about knowing your values or vision. You need all the foundations in place around it – such as your Why, your brand positioning, brand personality, audience, messaging and tone of voice and more. A lot goes into it.

So before you start on the fun stuff of your logo and brand identity, make sure you develop your brand strategy first. Without it, even a beautifully designed logo won’t work if your brand lacks substance.

Click here to download our free short guide to building your brand strategy

2 . Not knowing why your company exists.

This is part of your brand strategy as above but it’s so important it needs a little more deep diving into it.

Starting with Your WHY!
If you don’t know why your company exists (outside of profit), you will not be able to develop a brand that is effective or reflective of the mission, vision, and values of your business.

If you want to work out yours why then we suggest viewing Simon Sineks Ted Talk on why or even buying his ‘Finding your Why‘ book. It’s so insightful! If you don’t have time then you can always email Vicky our Brandista who can talk you through the Why framework and help you clarify yours – it’s a fun process!

3 . Not understanding the power of a brand

If you read any of our posts or blogs you’ll know by now it’s important to build a brand if you want your business to grow and succeed and have longevity.

Many clients come to us and don’t quite understand how beneficial it is to have a solid brand and great branding. But by ignoring your brand, or not giving it the time and investment it needs, your business can miss out on growth, recognition, and that competitive edge that will help you succeed.

A strong brand can…

• • Enhance credibility with your customers and business peers

• • Builds brand recognition

• • Builds brand trust & loyalty

• • Attract and retain amazing talent

• • Increased perceived value

A well-thought-out brand has so many benefits aside from the above, it can also attract and retain passionate and skilled staff that can have such a great impact on your business and its culture.

4 . Inconsistent identity

Our favourite word – CONSISTENCY!
You may have a strong brand and a beautiful visual identity in place but if you don’t have guidelines around these then your brand can get watered down over time – with different team members creating different assets or writing off-brand messaging. When your marketing materials don’t align with each other, it can cause confusion which can erode any trust or recognition you may have.

Every element of your brand must have a consistent and clear message. Your visual identity should reflect your company’s core values and communicate them in a way that is easily understood by your clients and customers. This should be both with your aesthetic elements and written – your tone of voice, keyword and messages.

If you have different messages or colours and fonts on your marketing materials this can cause clients to doubt the integrity of your company or choose a competitor that has a clearly articulated message and brand identity – or it just plain waters down your brand recognition.

If you would like to find out more about brand audits we can chat through our process – it’s a great way to check for any holes or inconsistencies within your brand without going too deep into your investment or time on a rebrand/refresh.

5. Poorly thought out logo or visual identity.

Although we do say your logo is just the tip of the iceberg, it’s still a really important element of your business and branding – it’s the face of your business and it needs to be memorable but also reflective of your vision, values and brand positioning.

Many businesses when starting out don’t have big budgets so tend to spend the least amount possible in creating a logo and visual identity. This can carry you for so long and isn’t a bad way to do things to get you off the ground but if you don’t revisit your logo and brand identity as you grow and invest in some solid branding then it may be holding your business back. An over-complicated or badly designed logo can dampen the impact of your brand and might not be speaking to the right people. It can give the impression that you don’t care about your business or audience or can look unprofessional.

It’s always worth reviewing your brand identity (brand audit) every few years along with your vision, goals and audience. You don’t have to go back to the drawing board but a tweak here or there can have a huge impact on your growth and achieving your goals.