Good branding and how it takes you further.

GOOD BRANDING

Google, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. What do they have in common? Exactly — they are recognisable. First and foremost that is down to their products, of course, but it is certainly also down to their branding. Good branding is carrying your brand out into the wider world.

BRAND NAME

A good brand name. The names above are recognisable names, while it isn’t clear what exactly they do. You can apply that to your own business. Say your name is Pieter and you want to start a new day nursery? Then you don’t have to call it “Nursery Pieter”. Go for something fun, something that sticks, like “Happy Bunch”. That immediately creates a different image. Already have a name? No problem. There are plenty of other routes to good branding — your look and feel, for instance.

LOOK AND FEEL

Choose a strong look and feel in which your business comes across well. Let’s stick with the McDonald’s example for a moment: the big “M”. It has nothing to do with the product, but everybody knows it. Make sure your look and feel inspires trust and that it sticks in the mind. Be consistent in it too. Is blue your colour? Then use your distinctive blue everywhere. It all sounds very simple and logical, but in practice it goes wrong remarkably often.

EXPRESSIONS

Your logo, business cards, letterheads, banners — you name it. Everything has to fit together for good branding. It all hinges on a corporate identity with which you make the brand name and look and feel above known. Your website matters here too, even though it is a product in its own right. Branding, incidentally, is a process that is not finished in a day. It is a continuous process that you always have to think about and take into account.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Your social media matters for your branding as well. Create a style on Facebook, for instance. A recognisable style that fits your look and feel and your other expressions. Take Bol.com as an example: they do it simply but effectively by placing the logo beneath every post.

LET’S GET STARTED!

A good start is half the work. Get advice from people who have experience with branding. There is more to it than you think at first, but it is always possible. Once you have found a look and feel that suits your chosen audience, it will certainly deliver results.