You may hear the word branding tossed around quite a bit in the professional world. Companies and more specifically marketing professional talk about this term often. However, many people my not be clear as to what branding really is.

Different Than Marketing

Many people think that marketing and branding are the same thing. Understanding the difference between them could help you use both to your company’s advantage. Think of the difference in this way: marketing is what you do to promote your company, and branding is who you are as a company. So, stated another way, branding is really more about the overall strategy and vision for your company’s reputation. It can also drive and govern what you will do from a marketing standpoint. Branding is strategic, while marketing is more tactical. The two channels work hand in hand as no marketer could truly be successful without a proper brand strategy to drive their plan.

It’s Your Identity

Think of the big brands that you use for a moment. What do they do? Why are you loyal to them? What do you think of when you see their advertisements? Branding really shapes your company’s identity for consumers. You need to understand what you want them to know and think about you. A good branding campaign uses the inherent qualities and mission of a company and packages those together in an attractive brand strategy. Being true to who you are as a company can eliminate the potential for misunderstanding by consumers.

The Tone

When branding a company, one of the first things to establish is the tone of your communication. What are you going to “sound” like to consumers? What emotions do you want to try to tap into? Establishing the tone of voice you will use in your advertisements will help establish consistency of messaging that will resonate with, rather than confuse your audience.

The Color Palette

At times, this critical component of branding can get pushed aside by businesses. It is absolutely critical that your company comes up with a color palette that you will live by and stick with in all of your materials. For example, when you think of UPS, you think brown and gold. When you think of Ford, you think blue and white. Deciding on a color palette, then using it in your materials can help consumers better identify with your brand.

The Logo

Companies need an identifiable mark that customers can recognize them by. A logo should be well thought out and researched. It should be true to your brand by communicating the key messages you want your audience to understand. It should obviously use your established color palette as well. A good logo can stand the test of time and can become iconic to your customers. Think Nike and Gatorade who can know use just their marks without the company name.

At AlphaGraphics, we can provide for any printing needs in Watertownyou may have and can help with branding your company. Give us a call or stop by today!