If you’re going to build a brand, you might as well do it right.
When you’re building a business, one of the most essential elements in your success is your brand. A strong brand will attract new customers and keep old ones coming back. It’s the personality of your business that helps people understand who you are and what you stand for. And it’s the thing that sets you apart from the rest of the pack.
It sounds simple, but building a powerful brand takes time, energy and hard work—and if you don’t get it right, it can spell doom for your business. That’s why sometimes it makes sense to take the next step by hiring a professional to guide you through the branding process and make sure your business sees success.
Here’s why you need a professional brand:
Your brand is so much more than a pretty logo.
Your brand is so much more than a pretty logo. It’s the foundation of your business, and we all know that a house needs a strong foundation to build on. Your brand includes everything from the words you speak and write, your visual branding (logo, fonts, colors), your marketing efforts, web presence, customer experience – basically everything that makes up who you are as a company.
Without a professional-looking brand in place, it can be hard to build trust with potential clients or customers because they just won’t take you seriously enough to do business with you. You don’t want people to think of you as an amateur!
Branding is also what makes you stand out in the crowd. When I see a well-branded website or an ad for someone’s services, I instantly recognize them because their look is so unique. I know exactly who they are and what they do before I ever even visit their site because their branding is consistent across every platform and helps me remember them long after our first encounter.
A professional brand/website can help you get more clients and make more money.
Picture this: you’re at the mall and you see a shop that has messy, dirty windows. There are a few items crammed into the display area and they are covered in dust. Next to it is another shop with clean windows, an inviting display of products, and friendly-looking staff inside. Which shop would you rather visit?
Your branded website is your online storefront. If you don’t have one (or if it looks bad), people won’t trust you enough buy from you. In fact, research shows that 94% of people judge the credibility of a company based on their design alone! Without proper branding implemented into all aspects of your business, you’re missing out on more client opportunities.
If your website looks good and sounds professional, your customers will know that they can trust you before they ever talk to you or buy from you. Trust = more clients which in turn = a higher income.
So you’re on board with having a professional brand. Now what? It’s totally normal to be nervous about the investment of hiring a designer.
I’ve heard every excuse in the book. “It’s $3,000!!!” It is (give or take). And it’s worth every dollar.
“I’m afraid I’ll spend all this money on design and get totally ripped off.” Not everyone who says they’re a web or brand designer is actually qualified to do so (even though they might use fancy words like “wireframing” or “brand identity”). That’s why it’s important to ask many questions before choosing someone: what their process is like, how they’ll keep you informed throughout the project, what their timeline looks like, etc. Make sure you feel comfortable with them before signing anything (and make sure your contract has an escape clause).
Now, here’s where I may differ than others. While I don’t think you should EVER buy a template for branding (branding should have a ton of research behind it for your brand specifically), I do believe it is more than okay to buy a template for your website. So long as you have the proper copy, buy the proper template, and implement all of your brand photography, colors, and fonts, it can (and will!) be just as good as a custom one! You may decide down the road that a custom website is for you, but for now, if you’ve spent most of your budget on branding, a website template is perfectly okay.
Building a powerful brand takes time, energy and hard work. Sometimes it’s necessary to take the next step by hiring a professional who can guide you through the branding process to make sure your business sees success.
When it comes time to consider hiring a professional for your business’s branding efforts, look no further than McKinley Media. We’ve worked with businesses just like yours, so we understand what you’re going through as you build your brand from its infancy into something that is ready for the world stage. If you’re ready for those next steps, feel free to give us a shout here so we can chat further!
