Your brand identity is you, what you offer, the problems you solve, and the amount you have to give your target audience
The things in life you most care about are worth paying extra for.
- If you need a new car you are more likely to pay the extra for a car that won’t break down,
- If your appearance matters to you and you want to show off your style you are more likely to go to a top hairdresser/barber to get your hair done, rather than cheap and cheerful,
- If you have a food intolerance you are more likely to pay extra for food that doesn’t upset your body,
- If you like fine wine you are more likely to pay extra for bottles that have won awards, rather than the cheapest bottle available,
I saw a great article posted by Chris Lockwood, Member of AIGA, Former board member of the Art Directors Club of Houston, about a barber shop that was booming with business until a cheaper one opened just down the road. Everyone flocked to the cheaper place until they realised the new barber was unskilled and was giving everyone the same haircut. Apparently, he didn’t even clean his combs or scissors between customers. People began going back to their original barber because they realised they were paying for knowledge, skill, time and the passion of somebody cares about their hair and appearance as much as they do.
This got me thinking about the way some clients think about their businesses when starting out. The purchasing decisions they make around their logo or business cards. A ‘brand identity package’ may sound over the top if you don’t know what it is and you are only starting out in the business world, but it pays to do it right.
A few of the cheaper online sites/designers will quite possibly ‘do you’ a logo or business cards as cheaply as £10 respectively, and it may not even take half an hour to choose a design and make payment. But don’t be fooled into thinking you’re the only person with your type of business with that logo. I’m sure lots of florists will choose the same floral wreath business card and logo, barbers will choose something simple like scissors. If you run a google search many of the same ideas will pop up. But think about your business. It isn’t generic, you aren’t run of the mill. You have passion for what you do, you care about your clients, so why wouldn’t you want this to come through your branding? Why wouldn’t you want to stand out amongst amateurs that may be cheaper but don’t have as much skill or care about what they do as you have?
Real brand identity designers have put a lot of money into years of education, are learning new skills and following trends all the time, so they can really craft what they do. They are more expensive because of this. A lot of sweat, blood and tears have definitely gone into this passion over the years, and they have a real understanding of how important a client’s and business’ needs are. You won’t get this from a £10 logo.
Compare shopping online to shopping in a real shop. How many times have you ordered ‘a real bargain’ online to only realise when you receive it that the material feels really cheap, maybe it doesn’t actually look as expected and maybe you actually feel a bit let down that it was oversold to you.
I know how scary it can be to put trust and money, into the unknown, but this is your business and its success actually rides on an investment like this. Yes, businesses might get part of the way with a more cheaply designed brand identity, but they won’t reach the heights that they could working 1-2-1 with someone who has as much passion for your business and what you are trying to do as I do.
This is why I offer a free consultation to all of my clients in person or as a ‘Zoom’ meeting. I want to get to know your business, the passion behind it, why you started, what influences or inspires you. I like to get a feel for who you are and the project that needs to be done. I will make suggestions on what I think your business needs right now and what it can wait for. If I don’t feel something suits your business, I will make better suggestions. This is how businesses become successful and why I will not take on any projects until the initial consultation has gone ahead. This is also the perfect opportunity for you to get to know me and very importantly, discover if I am the right fit for you.
I am working for passion and to make every business I touch reach the heights it fully deserves. I know the types of projects that I can really get my teeth into and am a great people person. I will be with you every step of the way to make sure you are getting something your brand needs and deserves, something you are really proud of.
This is the key to attracting your dream clients and will also inspire you to push a little bit harder to reach further success. Get in touch *here* for further information and arrange your free consultation.