BRANDING WITH COLOUR

So, thinking of Branding Yourself or your Company?

Last time I promised to expand more on the use of colour in Logos etc. used in Branding. Thinking of all your favourite Brands, what do you remember most about them? Most likely … the colours used. So how do you choose a colour to use in your Brand?

Analysing the following colours:

RED (very popular) is a power colour. It is assertive, attention-grabbing and exhibits confidence. So a logo with red in, is very visible and even exciting.

BLUE, on the other hand, is a calming colour. The sea and sky are

 blue, it envelopes a person. This is a popular colour for a business that promotes relaxation, peacefulness. A spa or holiday resort would have Blue in their logo for sure.

GREEN has an earthy feel to it. Environment-friendly, nurturing. It also symbolizes new growth, a new beginning. So it is a very versatile colour for Branding.

ORANGE is a very exciting colour. Sweet, inviting and fun. Must be used in small doses unless your brand advocates Fun Fun Fun. A popular colour for restaurants as it is stimulating, the appetite and the sense of having fun.

PURPLE is not used in big doses in Corporate Branding, but good for Personal Branding. It is a colour that says you are special and unlike others, so can make quite a statement.

BLACK, very basic. Down to earth, sedate. Can be very formal in Branding. The nice thing is that it can be used with any other colour, so is normally somewhere in your Brand Logo.

Yellow is the most optimistic of all the colours! Sunny and bright, it is a perky colour in any Brand Logo.

WHITE stands for purity and cleanness. So well suited to hygienic type Brands. Can also signify new beginnings.

Have fun putting together your Brand Logo using colours. Next time I will expand more on the Visual Aids of Branding.

BRANDING IN BUSINESS

Branding is something that identifies a person, company, team or product. It is essential for a business or person who considers the concept of Branding, to be aware of various factors that will help the chosen Brand be successful.

Obviously, the name of the company, product etc is most prominent on the logo. The font & color used needs to be considered, as it must be eye-catching and bold. A name that stands out bold and stark would be more formal and businesslike than a cursive or italic scrolling font, which is more personal or more feminine. So it depends on what the product is, what type of company it is or who the owner of the company is. Include a descriptive or catchy line or just your website address. That will lead people to you...

Colors used on the Logo can have various effects on the 'man in the street'. Research has proven that orange, for instance, is an appetite stimulant, whereas green has a calming effect. Red is a strong power color – decisive, but yellow stimulates the brain. Yellow is also a cheerful color. This is the subject of a whole other article, so we will tackle it then.

You might want to look at having a specialist design the Logo for you. You can work closely with this person to ensure that your vision of how it should look comes through. A professional will be able to adjust the Logo into various sizes for you to use over a broad spectrum of applications, which is important for it to look in proportion.

It is important to protect your Brand Logo by having specs regarding the sizing, colors used in all applications, whether in print or on the web. This will ensure that the Brand Logo consistently looks the same over the years, even if different printers or professionals work with it. One person in the company should be assigned to be responsible for the integrity of your Brand Logo, giving you the consistency you need.

You can now expand your logo onto your stationary, staff uniforms, promotional gifts, clothing and inhouse products. This ties it all together as a recognizable Brand that makes YOU recognizable to your clients and others.

Look out for follow-up articles regarding Branding and Marketing your Business.

VISITORS TO YOUR SITE

Design of your website can be critical to the success of your on-line business. It needs to cover different spectrum to satisfy different visitors to your site. You can analyse your visitors by personality, which will help you decide what to include on your website.

You get the Analytical personality: – logical, looking for detail & facts. They will dig around to get the information they are looking for. Yet they are supportive of others in the business and loyal, so will keep coming back to your site if it gives them what they want. Attention to detail for this visitor, as they will mosey around and see more facets of your site than most others.

Another type of personality is the Achiever: - These are the Go-getters, very practical, making quick decisions. They don't waste time, so your site must catch their attention and give them something to act on. These visitors want to click and get the answer/info. So a section of the website should be clearly set out to accommodate this personality.

Then there are the Window Shoppers: - They browse through many sites, interested but not there to really act. You could inspire them on your site to want to investigate a bit further. Personal touch for this customer. A bit of background of the business or product and some pretty detail. Videos could work here.

The purpose of your website is ultimately to make money, not so. If the visitor is not purchasing a product, at least get a name and email address, so that you can later use it to send them tempting newsletters or offers.

Make use of modern technology to make your site interesting and even interactive, so use Pod-casts, videos and even Blogs. Your clients can leave comments. Build loyalty that makes them come back to check what's potting on your site. Great! That gives you the opportunity to offer fresh products or services. Newsletters to regular visitors/clients gives continuity, so use them. Also offer free reports and e-books now and then to reward the visitors for a particular action taken.

I will expand more on this on my website soon. Patience now. I will release details soon.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Today, there are incredible tools available to help you grow your business internationally. Think of the scope, with over a Billion people using Internet every day. The statistics are mind-blowing. Putting your products online can be a strategic move to rake in sales and in that way expand your business. It opens up doors like never before.

Be aware though, of the pitfalls that can trap you if you just market your business without some knowledge of the workings of Internet Marketing.

One of the first things you will have to do is to establish your Web Presence. Do this by way of a Website (preferably professionally designed), or a Blog.

Looking at the costs for internet access, hosting costs, buying the appropriate domain names and even including the design of a website; it is within reach of most people. You don't want to look like a cheesy venture run from home. The more professional it looks, the more business it will attract.

Choose a product or service that is HOT. Do the research and target the right market! A good option is products or services that meet a need in the community, solves a problem or takes away pain. Expect some competition, which means that the product/service is in demand.

Have a Business Plan. Write down your Business plan, which becomes your guide from where you start online to where you want to be. It can be about your end goal, as well as your strategies and plans, to help you to get there. You might need to adjust some of those plans along the way, but keep the bigger picture in mind, your ultimate goal. Decide whether you just want to make a little extra money from this business, or whether you want to make a living from it. Do you want to be able to sell it later? That will give you direction as to the design of your site and even the products/services offered.

Now for the WORK … do something constructive with your business every day. Do at least one or two things per day and always check your results. If a particular avenue of marketing is not working, you can adjust to focus on the ones that do bring in the results you want.

Beware of getting sidetracked by the many, many activities online that just wastes your time.

Diversify! Develop a plan for online as well as offline marketing methods to grow your business.

I hope these few pointers will be helpful to you – to get you to that end goal!

Keep checking this blog for future updates & tips for GROWING YOUR BUSINESS.