What makes a BRAND? 4 Things to consider!

Creating a brand is important and the more thought you initially place into creating your brand the less decisions you will have to make down the track!

When creating your "brand" you need to consider several things.

1. The logo 

2. Your brand's Fonts

3. Your brand's colours

4. Your social media's presence and associated theme/message.

Once you decided on a clear direction making decisions becomes easier. You will begin to ask yourself, "does this suit my overall brand"?


Let's dive into each section. 

LOGO:
The logo is usually the first "branding" decision you make. Choosing a logo is crucial and usually becomes the "face of your brand". Do your research and work closely with your designer. 

FONTS:
Font choice is also important and feel free to ask your designer what font they have used and where you can get it from in order to use it throughout the rest of your branding. If you decide to use a different font to your logo make sure you continue to use it for any newsletters, blogs, business cards, flyers etc. I suggest choosing 2 fonts. One more decorative (title or header font) and one for content (easy to read)

COLOUR:
Colour is important and making sure it matches your industry is key. Psychology is very well linked to colour when it comes to marketing, so don't be fooled into being "different" to stand out, as you will most likely just confuse your audience. Aim to link your chosen colour/s back to your social media presence and branding. It doesn't have to relate to everything you post, but keeping a cohesive brand is important. For example your logo could have one pastel tone in it, yet you choose to use multiple colours in your Instagram feed, if you choose to go in this direction, keep all your colours in pastel hues for consistency. 


Your Social Media Presence

INSTAGRAM:
Deciding on a Instagram theme before you begin posting is ideal, however if you have an account already, it is never too late to start or change that theme. 

Use the same colours, filter or style to create a theme. And make to sure to break it up with some quotes or word based images.

FACEBOOK:
Facebook is different, you don't need a "theme" as such but make sure you deliver regular content that has an overall goal in line with your business. Break it up with videos, images, quotes and word based posts. A good idea is to pick an emoji for your business and use it on all your own posts (not content you share) this way your followers will always be able to spot your posts and therefore may scroll back to read it.  


YOUR BRAND DIRECTION:
You will have already decided on the purpose or vision of your business as it is most likely the reason you started your business. What I am referring is deciding on what message you want to deliver on each platform. For example; your Instagram account might be more about engaging an audience not selling your product or service. For example if you own a cafe, your Instagram mission might be about taking beautiful photos of food and coffee. Your Facebook page may be more about your daily specials, opening times, reviews and photos of customers enjoying their food.

Or if you are a blogger, your Instagram might be more about your daily life, quotes, funny antidotes etc. and your Facebook page might be more about your latest blogs and sharing videos and posts to help your audience. Therefore Instagram will be more about engaging your audience and Facebook would be more about what your "selling".

Decide on the direction you want your social media platforms to go and it will make your decision making easier down the track. 

When you have content you want to use or share, ASK yourself the 3 W's. 

WILL this suit my brand? (colour, theme etc)
WHY would my audience want to see this? (will this be beneficial to my audience, will they want to see this content)
WHEN will I post this? (consider what you posted before and what will be posted after)

I hope you enjoyed reading this and found it helpful. If you have any questions regarding the above, please feel free to comment below or Contact me directly. 

KEEP SHINING BRIGHT 
Carla xx

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