
Forbes recently shared an article by Eric McDermott all about the ‘three V’s of branding success.’ McDermott begins by noting that there is a lot of confusion out there about what ‘branding’ really is: with some people conflating a brand with a logo.
This lack of clarity makes it easy for startups, small businesses and even many enterprise companies to spend significant amounts of money on branding experts offering them branding packages. These packages perhaps offer a logo, colors, fonts and a branding guide, so one might have them thinking they’ve taken care of branding.
At Novagram, our years of branding experience allow us to offer expert advice to every client. We don’t offer packages. Instead, we work to understand what each client wants and needs, and how we can deliver this in full. This means that each and every project is different, and totally bespoke.
McDermott defines branding as: ‘Your brand is your identity in the marketplace.’ He writes:
Your brand is about consistency in how you show up. Your company’s brand is critical when it comes to customers, employees and the community for one primary reason: to build trust. Trust is established when people can detect consistency whenever they encounter or engage a business. A good brand makes it easier for customers to figure out just that.
But what makes a good brand? McDermott suggests the three ‘V’s of branding:
1. Values
Your values as it pertains to your brand are your consistency in how you show up in the care of yourself and others. Generally speaking, I’ve found that people only go where they feel welcome, and they only stay where they feel appreciated. That’s what values do for your brand.
Communicating your values to your audience can be done in many different ways. Each brand touchpoint is an opportunity to portray your values in some way. To make the most of this, it’s important to interrogate every element of your brand and consider whether it’s as strong as it should be. If not, it may be time to take action.
2. Voice
Your voice is your consistency in how you show up in words. Whether in print, conversation, correspondence online or anywhere else, the words you use produce your brand’s voice. Consider the words you use to describe your company, what help you provide, how to engage you if someone’s interested and what to expect once people engage.
McDermott is talking about two things here, consistency and clarity. Both help to form the voice that will be heard by your audiences: impacting brand awareness, and helping you to form valuable connections. We have helped many of our clients to achieve consistency across their branding: from their messaging to their website.
3. Visuals
As mentioned previously, visuals are typically what people obsess most over when constructing their brand.Visuals are your consistency in how you show up aesthetically. Yes, that includes a logo and perhaps a logomark, fonts, colors, images and photos. But consistent aesthetics is more than just that. It can also extend to your office aesthetics and even backdrops in your virtual calls. It might also include attire. What matters most is being intentional in constructing visuals that align with your voice and your values.
At Novagram, we are able to create compelling visuals that are consistent with your existing brand – or help you build a brand from scratch. Check out our work to see the visuals we’ve created for clients: from full rebranding, to packaging design, to aircraft livery.
McDermott closes by saying:
Authenticity is key, as, again, people will just move on if your branding doesn’t establish trust in the way they need it to. Things like logos and graphics are important, but without values and voice to back them up, customers will see right through you.
It’s true that branding is essential for success: it is the foundation upon which your business is conducted. Get in touch if you’d like to learn how Novagram can help you strengthen your brand.
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