This is a contributor’s blogpost …
It is impossible to overstate how important your corporate identity is to your brand. It defines how the public (your future customers) recognizes your company and judges your reputation. It influences their brand preference. Your competitors will be looking into this and so must you.
Your aim should be to make your corporate identity visible, consistent and distinctive if you are to derive the maximum benefit for your business. This applies whether you have an established business or if you have just purchased a business. Here are some steps that you can take to take your corporate identity to the next level and maximise your profits.
Make use of all potential carriers for your brand
Everything associated with your brand is a potential carrier for your corporate identity. Don’t limit yourself to printed matter and office interiors. There is a lot of potential in digital media including e-mail signatures, digital documents and social media banners and posts.
Your employees are a useful vehicle for branding. Finish off the appearance of their uniforms with high-quality staff name badges from Imagin Badges. You can choose from pin-on badges, metal name badges, magnetic name badges or photo ID badges. All can be customised with your organisation’s logo and colours and to promote your brand.
Don’t forget about your vehicles. They can advertise your services 24 hours a day, making the most of unused space and serving as a constant reminder.
Photo Courtesy of Unsplash via Pexels
Keep it all under control
Consistency is key and to achieve this you need to be on top of monitoring all your suppliers. You will need to use several different suppliers for your branded items, but it is important that the images are consistent. Ensure that all the companies are using your standard font, logo, and colours.
Quality is also vital and is something that cannot be compromised. Keep an eye on what is being supplied, and reject it if you are not happy. Poor quality branded products reflect badly on you and could damage your reputation.
Quality is as much about maintenance as it is about delivering the initial product. You could have a high quality illuminated advertising sign on a building, but if it is continually out of order it is not going to reflect well on your corporate image. If the vehicle carrying your logo is dirty or damaged it will detract from your brand. Some forms of advertising are especially vulnerable. Any form of illuminated advertising, wayfinding, and vehicle advertising are highly susceptible to damage caused by severe weather, accidents and vandalism. Avoid these costly mistakes by setting up effective maintenance contracts that will regularly check for damage and wear and tear, and rectify the faults. If the function is managed in-house you will need to delegate to a named employee to maintain accountability.
Automation is a quick and reliable way to ensure consistency and quality. The automatic layout of items, letters, memos and reports is easy to achieve with word processing programmes and tools. This gives you time to focus on the content rather than on the overall look.
