Good Branding Isn’t an Accident – It Takes a Little Work
Good branding is essential to building a successful business, because the brand is the first part of a company that other people see.
Business Betties is a company that knows all about the importance of branding. They started about three years ago and are located in East Longmeadow, Mass. The company is run by graphic designer Allison Biggs, 33, and photographer Suzanne Larocque, 43. They provide female entrepreneurs and women-run businesses with the visual branding tips they need to help their businesses take off. Their company works with local clients out of their home office, as well as clients across the country via online means.
Their number one goal in the business is to help women entrepreneurs create the best branding possible. They said that entrepreneurs should keep the following five things in mind when working toward better branding:
- Consistency
Once a decision on colors, fonts or other visuals has been made, it needs to be stuck with for everything; changing the look on different things is a big blunder in branding. “Making sure that you’re not sending mixed messages with your branding is really important,” Larocque said. It can hurt you to change your look because people won’t recognize you and your business, and you want them to recognize you.
- Prioritize
The Betties suggest taking things in segments and focusing on one thing at a time to strengthen a brand little by little. They want to remind entrepreneurs that things do not have to be done all at once; sometimes starting with focusing on a logo and then moving on to other aspects is the best option.
- Know the Difference between a Brand and a Logo
“A brand extends far beyond what your logo is,” Biggs said. A brand consists of everything visual as well as a consistent writing style, and the Business Betties don’t want people to limit their idea of a brand. “Really understanding the personality of what your brand is and who your audience is, and really speaking to that” is also essential to better branding, Larocque added.
- Be Yourself
“We really want to promote being authentic” is how they both put it. Entrepreneurs can use their brand to reveal themselves; they do not have to adhere to the certain images that others or media say they have to be to be professional.
- Quality
Even with a small budget, a lot can be done without having to skimp. They suggest spending a little extra in some places, such as with business cards, to make sure that you have the best looking product you can get for your budget. “Make sure that you get those things a little bit higher quality, because you want to make a good impression,” Biggs said.
More tips and information can be found at www.businessbetties.com or on their blog, whose link is located under the “Backstage” tab of their site. The Business Betties can also be found on Twitter and on Facebook. They are easy to contact right from the website, and are eager to help any new female entrepreneurs looking to make the best branding possible for their business.
This article was originally posted on LionessMagazine.com on February 12, 2015.
