Month: August 2022

Categories
Branding

Why Branding is Important for Your Business

Businesswoman hand placing or pulling wooden Dominoes with BRAND text. and Marketing, Advertising, Logo, Design, Strategy, Identity, Trust and Values. Product development concept

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business and is more than “just a logo” or your company’s visual identity. Besides your company logo, branding helps people instantly recognize your company and its products or services. It is important to understand what your organization stands for. What are your values? What is your mission? Once you know this, staying true to your brand and making decisions that align with your values will be easier. Investing in your brand is the best way to guarantee success for your company.

What Is Branding And Why Is It Important

According to the American Marketing Association, Branding is defined as ” a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or service” 

Your brand is the whole identity and true representation of your business; therefore, it is important to have a strong brand presence that consumers will recognize. Your brand sets you apart from your competitors and should reflect your company’s values. A strong brand will help you build brand loyalty among consumers, which is essential for the long-term success of your business. Investing in branding is crucial for any business that wants to be successful in the long term.

If you’re not convinced of the importance of branding for your business, consider these statistics published by smallbizgenius.com:

  • Presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%
  • 89% of shoppers stay loyal to brands that share their values
  • 94% of customers are likely to show loyalty to a brand that offers complete transparency
  • 77% of people refer to certain items by brand names

How to Define Your Brand And Your Brand Strategy

Now that we’ve talked about the importance of branding, you may be wondering how to define your brand and how the branding process works for businesses. The first step is to research your brand and past marketing efforts. What has worked in the past? What do people perceive your brand to represent? Once you have a clear understanding of your brand, value, and what your branding generates, you can develop a clear brand strategy and marketing strategy.

Your marketing strategy should be designed to achieve specific objectives and goals. It should also consider how customers perceive your brand and what they expect. After developing your marketing strategy, you’ll need to brainstorm ideas to help you achieve your objectives. When brainstorming ideas, creativity and thinking outside the box are essential. Consider all aspects of your brand identity when coming up with ideas. Once you have a few solid ideas, you can begin to gather inspiration from other businesses and brands. When gathering inspiration, it’s important to find examples that reflect your brand values and objectives. This will help ensure that your campaigns are on brand and aligned with your overall strategy.

The Benefits Of Having A Strong Brand

There are many ways to create a strong brand presence. Some businesses invest in branding themselves through marketing and advertising. Others focus on creating a great customer experience that will encourage word-of-mouth marketing. And still, others focus on building a strong online presence through their website and social media platforms. No matter your approach, it’s essential to ensure that your branding is consistent across all channels. Having a strong brand presence is crucial in being and continuing to be successful. Here are a few examples of why having a strong brand presence is needed:

  1. Helps build an identity: A strong brand and brand design will help you establish a clear identity in the market. Visual identity and visual elements associated with your brand are important because it allows customers to easily recognize your products or services and understand what your company represents.
  2. Creates loyalty: Branding can help build loyalty among customers by establishing an emotional connection with them. When customers feel positive about your brand, they are more likely to continue doing business with you and recommend your products to others.
  3. Being different is good: The advantage of being different is that it helps you stand out from the competition. This will allow your business to attract more customers and grow as well! When customers see that you offer something unique, they are more likely to remember your business and come back for more. 
  4. Builds Trust: People should not only trust your brand but have a brand experience when either using your product, being business partners, employees, or advocators for your company.
  5. Bringing in new customers: Having a successful brand with a good reputation tends to bring in new customers to your business because they want to be a part of the brand experience that other people already belong to.

Tips For Maintaining Your Brand

To be successful, companies must be able to maintain their brand. ompetition is fierce and consumers always look for value. These are some tips that companies can follow to maintain their brand.

  1. Having loyal customers: Show your appreciation to customers who are dedicated to your brand. This can be done in several ways, such as offering discounts, coupons, or exclusive access to new products, so your customer’s experience continues to be positive.
  2. What your brand represents: Be sure that your brand represents what you want it to. This means clearly understanding your target audience and what they expect from your brand.
  3. Future business: Focus on the future when planning your branding strategy. Consider where your business will be in the next five or ten years and plan accordingly. Doing this will help ensure that your branding is relevant and resonates with your industry and customers for years to come.
  4. Stay up to date on trends: it is important to stay up to date with the latest trends in your industry for your business. This way, you can adjust your brand accordingly and ensure it is relevant to your target audience.
  5. Stay consistent: It is important to be consistent. This means using the same colors, fonts, and messaging across all of your marketing materials. It also means being consistent with the quality of your products and services. If you provide a high level of quality, people will associate that with your brand and be more likely to purchase from you again in the future.

By following these tips, your business can maintain their brand and continue to be successful despite intense competition.

Branding is essential to any business and should be given the attention it deserves. When done correctly, branding can be a powerful tool to help you build trust and loyalty among consumers, which is essential for the long-term success of your business. If you’re unsure where to start, consider working with a Marketing Agency, like Social Link, that can help you create a good brand for your business. Invest in company branding today if you want to build strong branding that will help you succeed in the market.

Categories
Web Design

Six Things Designers Need From You Before Designing

graphic designer with program editing software on laptop computer screen, vector design illustration

If you’re looking for talented and creative graphic designers to help make your business or organization look its best, you’ve come to the right place. As a Full-Service Marketing Agency, we are passionate about creating visually appealing designs and effectively communicating your message. Social Link’s Graphic Design Team has experience creating eye-catching logos and marketing materials. Our Senior Graphic Designer, Kristi, prides herself on putting our clients first and ensuring that the final product exceeds their expectations!

Designing involves a lot of collaboration between the designers and the clients. For the project to go smoothly, there are some things the client needs to provide upfront. Here are six things that you, as the client, can do to make sure your designer has everything they need to create a successful design project.

Example of Social Link’s Graphic Design team creating logo’s for a client of ours!

Your logo is an essential part of your brand identity; think of it as the face of your business. Your company’s logo should be unique, memorable, and reflective of your brand. It’s essential to have a logo you’re proud of because it will appear on everything from your website to your business cards to your social media accounts.

2. Brand Guidelines

Brand guidelines are essential in ensuring a consistent brand. Brand guidelines are rules and standards that explain how a brand should be represented. They help businesses communicate what the company is, what it does, and what it stands for. Think of brand guidelines as a sort of ‘rulebook’ that sets out your brand’s overall look and feel.

Why do designers need brand guidelines? Put simply, they help to ensure that the final product is an accurate representation of your brand. Without brand guidelines, designers may inadvertently create something that doesn’t align with your company’s core values or message. By providing clear guidelines upfront, you can avoid any miscommunication or misunderstandings down the line.

3. Target Audience

As a business owner, you know that your target audience is essential to your success. After all, it’s who you’re marketing to and trying to reach with your products or services. A target audience is a group of people defined by specific demographics, behaviors, and interests. When designing, your target audience is one of the most important considerations.

A designer should always ask before designing: “who is your target audience?” your target audience will be a critical factor in determining the look, feel and overall style of your designs. Why? Because by understanding your target audience, designers can create content that resonates with them and reflects your brand’s values.

4. Your Goal Or What You Are Trying To Achieve

A good designer always starts with a goal in mind. What are you trying to achieve with your design? Are you trying to sell a product or promote a service? Are you trying to build brand awareness or drive traffic to your website? Once we have a clear understanding of the goals, designers can begin to create a design that will help the client achieve their objectives. Graphic Designers can also create an effective end product by keeping the goals in mind throughout the entire design process.

Chady is a client of ours that we had to take time to research the competition before creating designs that represent their brand.

5. Competitors

Knowing your competitors is important for any business, but it’s especially important for designers. Before starting a project, designers need to understand the landscape they’re working in. Who are your competitors? What do they look like? What are their strengths and weaknesses? This research helps designers create a unique and differentiated design that will help them stand out from the crowd. It also gives them a sense of what’s possible and what’s been done before. Here are three reasons why competitors are important to your designer:

1. Competitors help to define the playing field.

2. Competitors provide a benchmark for measuring success.

3. Competitors can inspire new and creative solutions.

By keeping an eye on your competitors, you can stay one step ahead of the game and ensure that your company is always moving forward.

6. Inspiration That They Love

As a designer, one of the most important things to know is what your inspirations are. Taking the time to share your inspirations with your designer is essential in creating a space you will love for years to come. This helps to give a starting point for the design process and ensures that the final product is something you love.

Inspiration is what fuels design when designing for our clients!

By giving your designer these essential pieces of information, you can be sure that you will have a logo and brand identity that accurately represents your business and helps you achieve your desired goals. By providing as much detail as possible upfront, you are setting your business up for success. Now that you know the six important things to give your designer contact Social Link today and let us start creating designs for you!

Categories
Uncategorized

Should You Rebrand?

rebrand word concept - vector illustration

Rebrand: Verb to change or update the image of (an organization or product).

Many businesses undergo a rebranding process at some point in their life cycle. You may have caught yourself asking the question “should I rebrand?” once or twice over the years if you own a business. That is completely normal when owning a business and wanting to have your brand image align with your brand strategy. One of the most important decisions a business can make is whether or not to rebrand. If your company is considering a rebrand, you’re not alone.

Rebranding can be a daunting task, but it’s also an opportunity to create a new identity for your company that better reflects who you are and what you stand for. Businesses should carefully weigh the risks and rewards of rebranding before making any changes to their brand. But for businesses that are struggling to find their footing in a changing marketplace, rebranding can be a powerful tool for reinventing themselves and connecting with new customers. If done correctly, a rebrand can revitalize your business and help you reach new heights.

What Is Rebranding?

Rebranding is the process of changing the way a company or product is perceived by the public. This can involve changes to the name, logo, slogan, and other aspects of the brand strategy. Rebranding is also the process of creating a new brand image for a business. This can involve changing the business model, developing a new brand name, and creating a strong brand message. Rebranding can be done for a variety of reasons, but most often it is done in order to target a different audience or to refresh the image of a company that has been around for a while. A successful rebrand will take into account the existing perception of the company and its products, as well as the desired target audience.

Part of rebranding is changing the brand and visual identity of your business. A business may change its name, logo, slogan, or design scheme to better reflect its new business model. For example, a business that started out as a small business might rebrand itself once its business starts to expand. In some cases, businesses simply want to update their image to stay current with the times. Another instance may be a business that has been using the same logo for decades and might decide to give its brand a more updated and modern look. An example of  one of the most recent rebrands has been Facebook according to brandfolder.com. Facebook has rebranded to “Meta” which came with a new logo, plane of existence (Metaverse), and even more jobs for the company. The Meta rebrand shows the commitment to moving from the old brand goals to the new goals.

The Benefits Of Rebranding

Any business owner knows that competition is fierce. In order to stand out from the crowd, it is important to have a strong and recognizable brand. Whether you’re considering a total rebrand or just a tweak to your existing branding, it’s important to think about all the potential benefits. It can help you to attract new customers, boost sales, and increase brand awareness. It can also involve changes to the company’s color scheme, website design, or overall look and feel. A successful rebrand can breathe new life into a business and help it to attract new customers. For these reasons, rebranding is often an effective strategy for businesses that are looking to stay ahead of the competition.

How To Know If You Need To Rebrand

In today’s competitive business landscape, it’s more important than ever to have a strong brand identity. What was once a strong and distinctive brand image may eventually become outdated or irrelevant. If you find yourself in this situation, it may be time to consider a rebrand. But how can you tell if your brand is in need of a refresh? There are a few key indicators to look out for.

1. Your Target Audience Has Changed and Developed

Your brand is what sets you apart from your competitors and helps you to build relationships with your target audience. If your target audience has changed, then your brand identity may no longer resonate with them. For example, if you initially targeted stay-at-home parents but have since shifted your focus to working professionals, then your branding should reflect that change. Similarly, if your target market has expanded or contracted, then your brand image should be updated to reflect that.

2. Your Brand Strategy Is No Longer Effective

If your current brand strategy is no longer effective, then it’s time for a change. A strong brand strategy will take into account all aspects of the business, from the target audience to the company’s values and mission. If your brand strategy is no longer working, then it’s time for a new one.

3. You Need to Revamp Your Visual Brand

Take a look at your visual brand. This includes everything from your logo and color scheme to your website design and social media presence. Take a close look at each element of your visual brand and ask yourself if it still represents your business in the way you want it to. Does your logo still reflect your company in an accurate and positive way? Are your visual assets looking dated? If so, then it might be time for a redesign. A strong visual identity is an essential part of any successful brand strategy. If yours is in need of an update, then that’s another sign that it might be time to rebrand.

4. Your Business’s Mission Has Changed

As you attract new customers and enter new markets, your brand experience will change to reflect your company’s mission. To stay ahead of the curve, it’s important to constantly evaluate your brand and make sure it is still in line with your audience and your company’s goals. If you find that your brand no longer represents what you want it to, don’t be afraid to make a change. A well-defined brand will help you attract the right customer base and differentiate yourself in a crowded market. With a little thought and planning, you can ensure that your brand evolves along with your business’s mission.

5. Your Business has Expanded

As your business expands, you’ll inevitably reach a point where you need to consider rebranding. This can be necessary to appeal to a new target audience, gain customers in a new market, or simply refresh your image. Once you have a good understanding of your new target audience and what they’re looking for, you can start developing a plan for rebranding your business. However, it is important to keep in mind your existing customers as well. You may need to modify your branding to appeal to both your new and old customers. So, if you’re considering taking your business in a new direction, be sure to do your homework and put together a solid plan. With careful planning and execution, rebranding can help take your business to the next level.

Social Link went through a rebranding process when our Business started to grow and expand. Take a look at the first logo that our company had and now the logo we have! Our current logo lines up with our brand, values, and our mission!

Rebranding can be a difficult process, but it’s often worth the effort. The benefits can be great, but only if the rebrand is executed well. When done right, rebranding can help businesses to refresh their image, appeal to new customers, and stay relevant in an ever-changing market. Have you ever rebranded your business? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

Categories
Digital Marketing Web Design

Results with Adobe XD 

As a Full-Service Marketing Agency, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to help our clients succeed. With Adobe Xd, we’ve found a powerful tool that helps us achieve great results for our clients. It allows us to create designs that are both professional and engaging, which helps us stand out from the competition. XD allows us to quickly create mock-ups and prototypes which gives our clients an easy-to-review URL for feedback and client thoughts. 

What is Adobe XD used for?

You may be wondering what Adobe XD actually is. Right from the source, according to an article, Adobe wrote, “Adobe XD is a powerful and easy to use vector-based experience design platform that gives teams the tools they need to create the world’s best experiences collaboratively.” Adobe XD is a user interface design software program that can create prototypes for a variety of digital products, including apps, games, marketing campaigns, voice assistants, and websites. We have found that Adobe XD is an essential tool in our workflow, and we use it to help us with a variety of client projects.

Adobe XD’s Unique Features

In today’s world, everything is on a screen and will continue to be that way in the future. The unique features of Adobe XD make it stand out from other design software programs, and we have found that it is the perfect tool for our team to use when working on client projects. It has many features that make it unique compared to other design software programs, including its ability to quickly create mock-ups and designs being easily shared with clients or team members.

When asked, our Senior Designer why she prefers XD over other applications she said “I prefer XD for websites because the platform easily allows you to create responsive websites and I love how easy it is to share your design without building up file names such as, “this-is-the-last-final_FINAL.pdf”. This also allows for our developer can easily access all of the assets”

Adobe XD Unique Features Include:

  • 3D Transforms allow us to rotate or move objects in space while adding the appearance of depth to give the look of an immersive dimension. Using 3D transforms we are able to select components, enable 3D transforms by clicking the 3D cube icon, and rotate objects by using the canvas controls in the property inspector.
  • Components allow us to create a design once and be able to reuse it everywhere while cutting down our time on duplicating designs. Components start with designing a UI element, then selecting the layers to make a component, and finally adding states to have different interactions.
  • Repeat Grid allows us to repeat galleries, menus, and lists. With a simple click and drag, we can turn one single element into repeating grids. Using Repeat Grid boosts our workflow while putting all of our elements in the right place.
  • Video & Lottie Playback allows us to embed videos and render animations on clients’ websites and apps.
  • Auto-Animate allows us to add motion effects, smooth transitions, playful interactions, and motion effects to our designs. This creates animation to keep your audience engaged.

How We Use Adobe XD To Create Our Client’s Projects

At our agency, we rely on Adobe XD to create stunning visuals for our client’s projects. From initial concepts to final designs, XD provides the tools we need to bring our ideas to life. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, XD helps us to communicate our vision clearly and efficiently. In each stage of the design process, XD lets us iterate quickly and make changes easily. And because it’s built for collaboration, we can easily share our work with clients and get their feedback.

We are excited to continue using Adobe XD as part of our workflow, and we know that it will help us achieve even better results for our clients in the future. Xd’s intuitive interface and powerful features have allowed us to create winning designs for our clients time and time again. Let Social Link help you create more engaging content with our proven techniques, including Adobe XD!