You’ve probably seen it, branding that makes your skin crawl and wonder, “what were they thinking!?” Just as bad though is the branding that you never see, branding that’s so dull that you barely notice it at all. Sadly, when it comes to branding, many businesses try to cut corners. They try to do it themselves or hire a relative. They wrongly think that a logo is a brand or they trust that simply because something is pretty that it will be successful. These misconceptions and others can foul up a completely good business plan.
One of the most common mistakes that businesses make isn’t branding for their target customer. Not all patrons are the same and a business is much better off when they choose a target demographic for their branding. Consider, for instance, branding for real estate agents. If you are a real estate agent you should think about your business area. Are you working a geographical farm in a bedroom neighborhood or moving high value residential properties downtown? Think about the age of your clientel. Are they baby-boomers planning to retire or members of the new mobile generation? Questions like this are worth considering when developing a brand that will “speak” to your target demographic.
Another frequent mistake is to overdo it. This is the branding which has too much of everything and too little focus. It is the brand that has too many words, too many colors and too many graphics. When shopper eyes see this brand they usually respond in one of two ways – confusion or distrust. They're confused as the message of the brand isn’t being obviously communicated, there’s just too much noise. They are suspicious because the brand looks thrown-together-with-the-kitchen-sink and they wonder, “Are the services provided just as unprofessional?” A brand must to communicate its message distinctly so that the customer can swiftly connect with it.
Unfortunately, too many new businesses assume that once they’ve got a logo, that they have a brand. But a logo is just the beginning. Branding is color and the relationship between elements and their positioning. Branding communicates intention, style and perspective. And on top of that, branding represents your business everywhere your business is – business cards, letterhead, product tags, advertising, online marketing and anything that would somehow be put in front of a potential customer.
Why do so few enterprises have less than excellent branding? They fail to see branding as an investment and so they do not commit resources to hire an experienced professional who has taken the time to understand their market. Don’t let your business brand miss its target demographic communicate unprofessionalism or fail to reach its top potential. Make the investment to have a brand professionally developed which will serve you well and create great opportunities for your business.
The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones brings over twenty years of expertise in the real estate industry. With expertise in strategic marketing, business evaluation, real estate branding development and real estate training, Denise is nationally recognized as the go-to for all things “real estate.”