Are you ready for new branding? Should your business take that next step? Find out with Hey Now’s! branding quiz! Answer each question below with a yes or no answer.
If you answer yes to any of these questions, it’s time for your business to brand!
Are you starting a company?
Is your business idea more of a vague concept or a full-fledged, documented plan? If you’re still in the former stage, take some time to think through your company conceptually and get serious about establishing a business you believe in.
If your company idea is established and well on its way, guess what – it’s time to brand!
Is it that important to brand right out the door? Answer: yes! There are a few reasons for this. For one, your brand encompasses your name, your logo, and tons of other things you want to trademark and establish legally. Instead of trademarking the first name you think of, it’s important to think through a brand strategy.
Second, you shouldn’t interface with customers until you have an established brand that ensures a positive customer experience. First impressions can make or break a sale and having a well-articulated and professional looking brand can really help you land new clients.
Are you are having a hard time conveying who you are and what you do (your business)?
Does your business already have a “brand,” but it’s not doing much for you? You should be able to show someone your brand and they should immediately have a pretty clear idea of what your business is and what it can offer them both through your visual identity and messaging.
If no one seems to understand what you do based off a few basic elements like your name, logo, and messaging, it’s time to rethink your brand and focus on how you can convey who you are to potential customers.
Not only will this help you express the value of your business to potential clients, it will also help you weed out people who aren’t a good fit. If you have a luxury brand and you spend a ton of time creating proposals for people who can’t afford your services, creating a brand that conveys a higher price point will help those prospects understand you might not be a good fit for them. Conversely, if you are selling on price as a differentiator a strategic brand can help you convey that to prospects before they even speak to you in person.
Do consumers have a misconception of what you do or offer?
Sometimes you spend weeks crafting what you believe to be the best possible brand strategy for your business and it just doesn’t work out. Even one unclear element can throw off the whole company.
For example, picture a business that chose a name they loved, but the spelling was often autocorrected by Microsoft Word and Apple iMessage. It was constantly wrong when it was typed in articles and press release and unfortunately, that typo was so detrimental it threw off customers who assumed their business offered something entirely different based on their name. They lost potential business and had to constantly call publications and correct their name.
Instead of sticking with a brand that isn’t working, recognize this as an opportunity to rethink what you are doing and create something that works better for you now and into the future.
Are you known for something you don’t want to be known for?
The scenario: you run a high-end furniture store that happens to sell handmade candy at the counter to attract customers. To play this up, your logo uses comic sans font and bright colors.
Suddenly, you aren’t known as the furniture store that sells luxury furniture, you’re known as a place to get candy. People who see the bright colors in the logo above your storefront might be looking for a couch, but could mistake you for a toy or candy store and not even bother stopping in.
If people aren’t getting what you do, it might be time for some tweaking or a full rebrand. Branding is a great tool to help you think about what your business stands for and streamline your message down one line. Selling candy is great, but you might want to scrap it if it’s hurting your real business. Throughout the branding process, remember to think of your work from the perspective of a stranger. If they saw your work on the street, would they know what you do?
Do you want to make a lasting first impression on potential customers?
Branding can help bring potential customers to you, and also help you get the sale after a sales meeting. A strong brand can convey an energy and excitement they may have felt in the meeting and remind them of that feeling when they review your proposal.
Branding can extend to the whole experience of your sales cycle, working with you during a project or in a retail space, and help to create a one-time buyer into a loyal repeat customer.
And we can help! Get your free copy of our latest eBook designed to help branding newbies create an amazing brand strategy.
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