Are you in love with your brand? Does it even matter?
Today, I want to talk with you about why loving your brand is important for your business. When you love something, it’s natural to share and talk about it. If you feel your brand is just okay, it might be time to update or really define it. If you’re not in love – do something.
It’s important that you like the look, the colors, the imagery, the icons. It’s time to open up your eyes, open up your mind, and determine do you love your brand? Does it even matter?
Yup, it does! You should love your brand, why? Your brand is the foundation of your business idea. Initially, you may think, yes, I do love my brand, but do you? From your business cards, your logo, your colors, your website, your Facebook, to your voice – everything that’s being presented do you love it?
We’ve gone through a few brands on our own, rebranding for Brand Mentors, building the Brandon Crist brand, and we love them. If you don’t love your brand you’re holding it back. Think about it, when you buy a new pair of shoes, a home, a car, a new piece of clothing, don’t you naturally want to tell people about it? That’s the first thing you share, of course, avoid gloating, but you’re excited to talk about it!
Going through the process of building a business can be difficult, you don’t know how people are going to respond, so maybe you don’t want to share, maybe you don’t feel confident.
Throw all of that aside! Make sure you love your brand before you go and tell everybody about it.
I’m going to share with you some things to bring it all together
1. What don’t you like about your brand? What makes you not love it?
Pick it apart- is it the colors, does the icon not fit the representation of your brand, is it old, incomplete. What did you realize you really don’t like?
Warning: This can be overwhelming, so go through your brand step by step. Do you like your font? Do you like your colors? Do you like it on SM but not your website?
Sometimes you just have to clean up your brand to get it to be something you love.
You might love your brand, but not like how it looks on all the different platforms or ways you are sharing it.
Use canvas or hire a graphic designer to get the files in the correct size and format so it looks the way you want it to. Somethings like the Facebook banner dimensions change over time, skewing how your brand looks. Keep these updated and see what you like and don’t like.
At the very least have a png of your logo so it’s versatile for the changes and uses you need.
You don’t like your logo, now what?
2. You really don’t like your logo – what do you like? Go to Pinterest and create a Brand Board of things you enjoy and like, color schemes, fonts, other logos, shapes, and elements you like. From there build a story around your brand, this helps you see the idea that you really want.
3. Bridge the two together – we have to bring the elements to your brand board and pair them with what you already have. You might end up contacting a graphic designer to meld the two ideas together, or you use tools like Canva to build something you really like.
PRO TIP: Always start with the font! It gives you the idea that we are starting and moving toward where you want to go. It takes away the overwhelm analysis paralysis and other barriers we all deal with.
Make sure that you identify why you like that font, is it the curve in the “L” or you don’t like the thicker side of the “T”.
Clarify the things you really love and the things you really dislike. Brands evolve, but you should always love your brand. Don’t settle. Be detailed on the elements that your logo takes on.
At the end of the day, if you don’t LOVE your brand, you’re not going to tell anyone about it. Oftentimes clients will sign off on a brand they’re not in love with and when we ask a few months later, they’ll say something like, “I really like my logo,” or “I really like this font over what we used.” It’s so important not to settle! Be clear with yourself or who is working on your brand what you like or don’t like and why. It’s a lot easier to make edits in the building phase than it is to rebrand.
Whatever way you decide to go, start with the fonts. Pull in your logo, your icons, and start! Start designing something that you love, and when you feel like you’re in love, start bringing in other people to see it.
At this point, the excitement for your brand should be rising. This unlocks the key so you want to share your brand with other people. People can tell the difference between someone who loves their brand and someone who just thinks it’s okay. Those that love their brand are the ones that are going to progress and move forward. Those that are quiet or shy about their brand are often questioning that they love it.
If you don’t love your brand you’re probably holding it back which means you’re likely not meeting your goals. Branding can be so big and at the same time so easy. It might be your logo, your Facebook image, and a business card, but you have to start somewhere.
CHALLENGE – Take a step forward. Go through the exercise, “do I love my brand” and start working towards what you like.
Let’s get started on your brand journey – press play!
To find out more about Brandon and continue learning –
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BrandonCristDotCom/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/brandoncrist/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncrist/
Ep 001. Do You Love Your Brand?
with Brandon Crist