Branding 101: 3 Tips For A Professional Look
First impressions are crucial, so what is it about a business that makes them look serious and professional? When buying a product for the first time time in a store, knowing nothing about it, why do you choose one over the other? People will often pay more for the SAME product if it LOOKS better! Looks! That is your branding. The front your customers see. This is what makes you look at a website and say "Yea these guys look legit" vs. "wow these Pepitos from Hialeah just threw together a site".
The more "legit" you look, the HIGHER PRICES you can command (as long as you follow up with the promised value proposition of course :)
So, let's get into 3 tips to improve your branding!
TIP #1: LOGO
Obviously you need to have a logo! But that's just the start. Not only do you need a professional looking logo (I am not a graphic designer so I won't advise you on this), but your logo NEEDS to have the following qualities:
1. Format:
Your logo will go into everything you do. From printed materials, to websites and social media sites. That is why you need at least 2 VERSIONS of it. One is a long horizontal version and the other is a square version. The horizontal version is the "complete" logo that is create for websites, printed material etc. The square version fits perfectly in social media (IG, YouTube, FB). Look at any famous brand and notice how their logo has both a long and a condensed version.
2. Source Files
When you ordered your logo, the graphic designer should have sent you a couple different files. Here is what they should have been:
1. PNG (at 4K in size, or optimize for 4K display)
2. AI
The PNG version will give you that transparent background to incorporate in media. The AI version is for the program Adobe After Effects and it will allow you to send this logo to a graphic designer and allow them to change and modify it. Its like having a PDF and Word version of a document. Make sure you get both!
TIP #2: FONT & COLORS
Notice how most logos have one or two fonts, and one or two different colors. The colors and fonts in your logo should be represented in every media you do.
For example, my companies' fonts are IMPACT and Montserrat and my colors are White (FFFFFF in Adobe), Black (000000 in Adobe) and Red (FF0000 in Adobe). Notice this email, my website, and videos. I keep the branding and wrapping consistent of all my content to increase the professional look.
TIP #3: VIBE
The vibe is the general feel and energy of your company. This will of course be determined by your target audience. Is it made for laid back skaters? Soldiers? Builders? Business professionals? Once you decide the tone, it should stay CONSISTENT in everything you do.
Don't have a laid back friendly tone in an email and then switch it to board room formal on a follow up video. Be consistent with your message and the way to deliver it to client and prospects.
That's it guys hope these tips help you out! If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out. Have a great weekend!