Branding Innovation Is Critical For Business Success Now more than ever before, thinking about innovating your business communications means the difference between a thriving connection with your customers or being left behind. Long gone are the days of print ads or commercials as a business’ primary source of communication. In the last decade our ability to communicate our business’ services and message has exploded! Branding is the process of creating and communicating a unique identity or proposition, that sets a product or service apart from the competition. The innovation comes from HOW you do it. This is the era of “think outside the box!” Social media, for example, supplies maximum exposure, recognition and community building opportunity – but that’s not all. Scroll through the app store and you’ll find hundreds of apps dedicated to making the process better, simpler, more professional – you name it. The key to making it all come together when you’re building and communicating a strong brand is to start with a solid foundation. At Gerbo Designs we walk our clients through the following steps: Who are you trying reach? Get really specific! What is their age, likes, dislikes, location, income. Talk directly to that person! Your ideal customers will notice!
Business Position – Know your competition, what sets you apart? Highlight how you are different and unique. What problems do you solve or solutions do you provide for your customers? What value do you bring? Define your Business Personality – What do you want people to think of when they interact with your business? Make a list of adjectives you feel define your ideal business persona and then narrow it down to 3-5. Craft all messaging, imagery and content to work within those descriptors. Design a Logo and Materials that represent your business – A professional designer will consider font, color, size, iconography and general design that communicates your brand and conveys the personality and reflects and complements your brand name. Once we have a foundation in place the fun starts! Connecting with customers is the name of the game. Work on creating relationships. Show your personality. Tell stories and be genuine and authentic. According to SproutSocial.com “71% of consumers do business with brands they interact with!” Use apps to create short videos, edit images, add verbiage and offers. Show your face and the people behind the brand. It takes getting used to, but the payoff makes it worth it! As an example, on Instagram, Reels allows users to create engaging, fun, and short videos using a catalog of music and user-generated Reels media. It’s such a new medium that it’s a great place to jump in and define it for your brand. If that’s not the right fit, there are so many choices, just be sure you’re staying true to your brand voice and personality.
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If you’ve been in business long, you know there is always change and adjustment, never truer than what this year has thrown at small business. Adjusting, pivoting adapting and innovating will keep your business fresh and connected to your customers and what they want to see from you.
Sally Gerbo is the Owner/ Brand Communications Expert at GerboDesigns.com. 28
Modesto Chamber of Commerce I ModChamber.org
As a Brand Communications Firm, Gerbo Designs partners with businesses to build brands, define identities and create communications strategies. If you’d like to learn more, we’d love to chat with you! You can email me at sally@ gerbodesigns.com or DM @GerboDesigns.