A logo isn’t enough: The real ROI of branding

Let’s brainstorm for a minute.

Why do you wish to have a logo designed for your business? What are your goals? Could it be that you’d like to build awareness and trust around your business? Or that you’d like to increase your prices? Really, it could be any number of things.

But truth is, a single logo cannot accomplish this. A brand can.

What is a brand?

A brand is not your logo. A brand is what people say about you once you’ve left the room. It’s the sum of all the experiences your audience has with your company.

Behind your brand are…

• Your vision
• Your mission
• Your core offering
• Your values
• Your messaging
• Your target market

This, is the foundation to your brand and used as research for what we call brand strategy.

So what have logos got to do with this?

Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.

Based on strategy (the key elements mentioned above), your brand identity is created. When strategy aligns with creativity, is when magic happens.

An effective brand identity turns an impersonal business into something your audience is emotionally attached to, it turns it into an attractive brand.

Brand identity and visuals, when used with consistency, also create a positive impression on your audience. Because your business is now easily recognizable, it’s deemed professional and trust-worthy.

That’s why investing in branding will make your goals a reality, but a single logo won’t.

Now that you know this, you KNOW that you have to invest in branding (at least I hope so!). There’s no way around it.

If you have the budget — Go for it! You’ll be SO glad you did.

If you don’t — and that’s okay, everyone has to start somewhere — consider brand kits while you save your pennies. They’re less of an investment — meaning more likely to fit in your tight budget. If you don’t know what brand kits are, they are pre-made brand identities sold by designers. They aren’t backed by strategy, but still unique to your business (you DO have to double-check the T&Cs for this). Do I think that’s a durable solution? No. You’ll have to invest in proper branding down the road, but you’ll be much better off than getting a $50 logo off of Fiverr.

Do you need branding? I’d love to work with you!