Branding Mistakes Your New Business Will Make

When you think about great branding there are certain images that come to mind. The golden arches of McDonald’s. The red and white of Coca Cola’s famous lettering. The Nike tick and the Adidas stripes. There’s no mistaking these images, everyone knows which brands they’re associated with. But if you’re a small business trying to make a big impression it can seem quite daunting trying to come up with a logo or brand image that will last and have the right impact.

Colgate’s infamous blunder from 1982 illustrates the power of branding. They tried to release a line of ready meals in a market that was absolutely ready for the range. The problem was branding. They thought it was clever to release them with the same branding because they were well known and trusted. It should have worked but people had grown to associate the Colgate brand with just toothpaste. It just didn’t translate and was a big flop sadly. 
Taking on your own business’ branding image may seem like such a big pressure. But if you get it right you’ll be incredibly proud of the fact that you created it. It's probably easier than you think and with companies like rocket productions it’s never been easier to get your brand out there. Just try to avoid some of these common mistakes during the creative process. But have fun and do what feels right. After all, it’s your brand.

Over complicating things 

It’s so easy to get carried away when thinking about branding for your business. Don’t over complicate things. Of course you want your brand to stand out, but that doesn’t always mean big, bold and colourful. If it reflects your brand then it could still be an option. But when you think about some of the biggest brands, all of their logos are simple. 

Not policing your efforts

So you’ve put in the work, all that creative effort and come up with something genius. Remember to protect it. You’ve got to be careful about monitoring where and how partners, employees, are using your branded elements on your behalf. If not, you could have competitive companies designing a logo that looks very similar, a review website using your logo and not linking back or a partner publishing an ad featuring your logo but with the wrong colors. Some of these issues may be minor, but in other situations, it may be necessary to pursue legal action. 

Being inconsistent 

Having consistency across your branding creates a trust between you and the consumer. It makes your brand easily recognisable and gives consumers a sense of comfort. Coordinating your brand image across logo, website, adverts and any copy goes a long way in making your brand successful and professional looking.

While branding definitely needs a creative eye, a passion and a well rounded knowledge of general marketing tactics and strategies, it doesn’t need to be complicated. Some of the best known brands that have been around for years have kept things very simple right from the start.