Branding. It’s everywhere you look. It’s in everything we see and hear today. From your favorite sports team to the clothes you wear, branding plays a huge role in its success. Its why my friend Skip Cohen and I did a Podcast to discuss this and more.
Branding is important because people judge you by how it makes them feel and relate to you. Does your brand have impact? Build trust? Does it make them want to do business with you? More importantly, does it make them want to talk to you?
For some of you it may be time for a branding check. Not an overhaul but maybe an update or refresh. For others you might be long overdue and it’s time to rebrand and use the opportunity for some publicity.
So where do you start? Let’s begin with your logo. Is it professional and reflect your business image you want to portray? A professional logo appears in everything printed and on your social media sites. Make sure yours is solid.
Your brand colors. In talking to our Professional Designers here at Marathon, they recommend selecting 3 colors.
- A flagship color. This is the one color that most represents you and the personality of your business.
- The second or support color acts as a complimentary but can also serve as the flagship color at times depending on the mood of the piece you are trying to convey. Some people opt for a solid black, white or silver color as their secondary as those are such attractive additions with your other colors.
- The accent typically is the usually minimal and just adds contrast or that little flair to the flagship and secondary colors.
No matter what color combination you decide, you want to be consistent with these in everything you create or have created. Your customers should see a brand consistency throughout all your materials without even seeing your name.
Professional branding is worth every penny. If you are designing your own stuff and you don’t have a degree in commercial art? It’s like an amateur photographer showing their work to you thinking it’s award winning but it’s far short and they don’t even realize it. You might be great at Photoshop and have a lot of print merits but that doesn’t make you a good designer!
My best advice for the week? Work with a professional Designer for a better brand. You’ll feel more confident using something you know is done professionally and attracts the customers you are after. I happen to know a couple of really great Professional Designers here at Marathon. Contact me and I’ll tell you how it works. 800-228-0629 ext. 283. It’s the best gift you can give your business.
Here’s a helpful article to understand color combinations that work well in Design that will inspire you – https://www.designhill.com/design-blog/branding-color-guide-how-to-choose-brand-colors/
I’ve found that every successful studio uses these printed products in their business –
- Professional Logo
- Business Cards
- Teeny Tiny Brochure
- Small trifold brochure
- Large Brochure
- Note cards (for thank you’s and personal invites)
- Studio Folder
- Referral Cards
- Be My Guest Cards
- Gift Certificates
This combination of branded products gives you a tremendous advantage over the competition. Especially in today’s market where photographers come and go seemingly overnight. Having these types of materials to hand out builds trust, shows you are established and here to stay.
Need several of these products to help grow your business? Get your own Better Brand with Marathon’s Branding Essentials Program. Customize the products you want – https://www.marathonpress.com/branding-essentials/.
I invite you to listen to the Podcast Skip Cohen and I did on understanding when it’s time to rebrand, revamp or just make a few changes to create your better brand.
