Is My Brand Identity That Important?

Do I really need more than just a logo? Do I even need a logo? These are questions you may ask at the beginning stages of starting your business, especially when money is tight and you want to limit expenses whenever and wherever possible. 

While skipping out on investing in your brand identity may be tempting, it is not the answer. Your brand identity is important for so many reasons - from creating the first impression of your business, to standing out in an overcrowded media influenced world, your brand identity is the first tool you should invest in when starting out. 

Let’s review a few key reasons why having a Brand Identity matters.

1 - First Impressions Count

First. Impressions. Matter. Let’s face it, we are all guilty of judging a book by it’s cover, and in today’s technological world, our first step when seeking out a company we may want to interact with or purchase from is looking them up on google or social media. According to many media outlets, like Forbes, your business only has 7 seconds to make a great first impression. Professional branding and a strong brand identity design immediately gives your business credibility and ensures you present a clear message. You will also come across as more established, professional, and trustworthy. 

2 - Cohesive Messaging

Your brand identity is a core part of your marketing outreach, and when there is no cohesiveness between the elements that are put out across different channels, you’ll get people asking, “what are they trying to say?”. Your brand identity is so much more than just a logo - it is the tone of your messaging, your values & mission and how you present yourself to the world. Your Brand Identity is the face of your business. You don’t want your brand to have a perceived image that is messy and hard to follow — that's not going to help you build retention and loyalty across your customer base.

3 - Recognition

We all want to be recognized for something, and the best way to get recognition is to show up and show up consistently with the same visual experience each time. On average, it takes 5-7 impressions or interactions with your brand for people to remember you (Pam Moore, The Marketing Nutz). Think about the most recognizable logos in the world - Nike, Lululemon, Starbucks, Coca-Cola - these companies have all built recognizable and credible brands while maintaining the same face and set of guidelines consistently over the years. Chances are, when you see their logos, you are reminded of much more than just a logo - you are reminded of an experience and the trust you have in these brands. Would you give this same credibility to a company whose visual messaging isn’t consistent, would you even remember a company whose branding isn’t consistent?

Image Source: Full Stop
This is a great example of consistency. Although overtime, Nike dropped their name from their logo completely, the main element (the swoosh) has always stayed the same, as it is the most recognizable image of their brand.

4 - The Bottom Line

Having a strong Brand Identity can actually help you increase your revenue. Apple is a great example of this. Apple is able to charge a premium price because they have built a reliable brand through strategic brand identity design and using it effectively across all marketing channels. Do you want higher paying customers? Make sure you look the part. In fact, consistent visuals & messaging systems presented consistently across all channels has seen an increase of revenue by up to 33% for some brands (Lucidpress, 2019). What more could you want?

Initial investment when it comes to starting your business is scary and stressful but you always need to keep in mind the pay off that all of these investments provide. Brand Identity Design is always a great investment when you are looking to build a credible, memorable and long lasting business.