Before you can build a successful business, you must first build a recognizable brand. The experience you offer, values you embody, and public perception you receive are all important factors in building customer loyalty, but the branding process actually starts from a much simpler point: your company’s logo.
Your logo is likely the first thing consumers will interact with when they are introduced to your business, so you want it to make a good first impression. Designing a logo may seem like a fairly simple undertaking – after all, some of the most successful companies in the world have some of the most basic logo designs, such as an apple, bullseye, and seashell – but the challenge actually lies in this simplicity. You need to condense your entire company into a single image, and it has to look nice, too, because once you settle on a design, it’s going to be plastered on every document, business card, webpage, and product associated with your business until the end of time. More importantly, it’s going to be plastered in your customers’ minds.
You probably immediately identified the three companies associated with the logos listed above from no more than a single word. That’s because logos stick, and they are perhaps singlehandedly the most important factor in building brand recognition and loyalty. But don’t let the importance of choosing the right logo daunt you. Instead, focus on all of the ways a good logo can help improve your business:
1. Your Logo Communicates Ownership
Your logo will be stamped on every product and service your business produces, which enhances your recognition, professionalism, and consistency and helps drive new customers to your brand.
2. Your Logo Shows Your Identity
While it may not be easy to condense your entire brand into one visual element, it is incredibly powerful for consumers, helping them to understand what to expect from your company right off the bat. For example, Nike’s swoosh symbol communicates the speed and agility consumers hope to achieve from wearing its products.
3. Your Logo Differentiates Your Brand
No matter which industry you are involved in, you can expect it to be flooded with competition. Consumers will have a number of comparable businesses to choose from, and a good logo will help you persuade them to move in your direction. This is where you can dare to be different from your competitors by selecting a graphic that both represents your brand and brings a fresh perspective to your industry.
4. Your Logo Creates an Emotional Connection
Whether they know if or not, consumers are influenced by visuals. In fact, according to data from Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 93 percent of their purchasing decisions are actually based on visual perceptions. If you have a powerful logo, it will resonate with these visually motivated consumers and permanently embed your company in their minds. When it comes time to make purchasing decisions in the future, they may remember that logo and decide to give your company their business. Ultimately, your logo will build strong brand loyalty over time.
5. Your Logo Builds Trust
Although your brand is much more than just your logo, your logo will be responsible for representing your entire brand. Selecting a logo that looks professional and is targeted towards the correct demographic will be effective in earning consumers’ trust, and when you place that trusted logo on everything your company produces, they will feel much more confident about purchasing those products.