#1 Your brand design strategy is a hot mess.
Do you use different colors each time you notice someone else using cute colors that you like? “Oooo! Look at that color palette. I like that. I’m going to steal that” **repeat 3 months later**
Ok, yeah. Stop doing that. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again – consistency is KEY.
In order to create brand awareness, you need to be consistent in your graphics. Stick with a set color palette and typography for AT LEAST 3-6 months before re-evaluating. And when you do re-evaluate your colors, don’t make drastic changes. Maybe change your dark green to a medium green.
If you feel the need to be constantly changing up your colors and fonts, then it’s time to book a brand design with a professional to really hone in on your strategy so that you don’t want to switch things up all the time. You’ll have an amazing brand that you LOVE and are proud of.
#2 You have no real brand identity.
Not only do you switch up your colors and fonts all the time but you have no idea what actually goes into creating a strong brand.
Here’s a basic list of necessities for your business:
- Logo (main logo, alternates, submarks)
- Colors
- Fonts
- Website
- Brand Elements (like a pattern or shapes or icons)
- Business Cards
- Social Media Templates (Facebook posts, LinkedIn posts, Pinterest posts & Instagram posts are all different sizes. Also instagram story templates)
- Printed marketing materials (postcards, thank you notes, etc)
- Digital marketing materials (think PDF’s like pricing guides, information sheets, freebies)
- Brand photography
- And so much more!
Having all of the above set in place in the beginning of your business or while you’re developing your brand strategy is important. Working with a professional brand designer can ensure that you are set up for success.
#3 You’re trying to work with higher paying clients with a budget/DIY brand.
With most things in life, you’re getting a higher quality service/product when it’s priced higher. If you want high quality clients, you’ve got to look and act the part. That all starts with a high quality brand.
That $10 logo from fivver and that $100 website template from etsy isn’t going to cut it. Attracting high quality clients comes from high quality design.
You may think that only creatives are focused on other people’s branding but that’s just not true. There are so many studies out there that show that your normal everyday person is subconsciously attracted to good, high quality branding. Think about when you are grocery shopping and you pick up a product because it’s label looks appealing to you. I do this all the time with wine labels. I have no idea what the wine tastes like, but I buy it because their marketing attracted me to them. So even though your ideal client isn’t a designer like I am, they’re still subconsciously judging you on your website and logo design.
Think of it this way – design gets people in the door and peaks their interest. Then it’s up to you to sell your services, your personality, your story. Cheap design isn’t going to bring those high paying clients to your door.
Now maybe you disagree with me but ALL of my clients have told me that their businesses have increased their foot traffic and sales after working with me to develop a new brand design and strategy. That’s powerful right there.
“Branding is expensive. I can’t afford it right now.”
I challenge you to ask yourself, can you afford to lose all of those sales by not investing in branding right now?
