If you have heard about the need to make a strong first impression, then the logo will come to mind. Once you see the sign of one of the big brands on billboards or merchandise, you associate them with success, quality services, and innovation. A logo is the first point for you to build trust in your brand. In this article we discuss Why Small Businesses Need Strong Logos.
The logo might not be fancy or philosophical. Some of the iconic logos you see on the market today never received any serious thought.
However, as the brand grows and competition emerges, the need to be visible takes centre stage. The logo has become important in brand recognition and marketing.
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Logo vs Brand
It is easy to confuse a logo with a brand. A brand is the perception people have about your product or services. Have you seen businesses rebrand yet maintain their clients? They will change the logo yet customers will still flock to their stores.
That is how to differentiate a brand from a logo. One is visible and specific while the other is an overall perception, including the physical colours.
The focus is on small businesses for a reason. Small businesses are struggling to expand to grow, and especially to win the confidence of customers.
In some cases, these small businesses are looking to snatch customers from established multinationals. Success in such a humongous battle requires all the assets and effort possible.
Your identity, which includes the logo, will play a huge role.
Before talking about why businesses require a logo, let’s examine what a strong logo means.
- Distinctive – a strong logo is unique and easy to identify. When placed on a board among other logos, your customers should pick it out with ease. It is this distinct character that will distinguish it from others in the industry or even beyond.
- Memorable – how long would it take someone to recognize your logo? If it gets to guesswork, how many guesses will the person take before getting it right? Part of branding is to create a memorable logo that your potential customers will not struggle to remember. When it is memorable, your followers will easily pick your product among a host of them, for instance, on supermarket shelves.
- Simple- check – the logos of some of the top global brands in the world. Facebook, for example, is just an F with just two colours-white and blue. Google is just the name and some distinct colours. Many other logos are simple non-philosophical graphics. Such simple designs are memorable and unique. It is the simplicity that makes it difficult to copy because you cannot go any other direction.
- Versatile – the logo should be easy to place on any other platform and still makes sense. Whether you print it on a letterhead, billboard, advertisement video, or on the products on offer, the logo should maintain its distinct characteristics and still represent your brand.
- Appropriate – anyone looking at the logo must feel comfortable with what it denotes and connotes. Hidden meanings might backfire or be misinterpreted. Avoid campaign-biased logos like racial or LGBT graphics. Trendy ideas will also run out of favour and push your brand into oblivion. Choose a logo that is acceptable to your entire target market from gender to religious, social, and racial segments.
With an idea of what a strong logo is, we can now look at why your business requires a strong logo.
Creating a Strong First Impression
Whether it is advertising or branding on packaging materials, the logo always grabs attention. It creates a crucial first impression that you should safeguard.
Since you have only one chance to create that first impression, you will require a strong logo.
The impression will come from the images, words, and graphics on the logo. The logo gives you a professional feel. It should be eye-catching, especially standing out among the crowd.
Avoid a lot of details that will crowd the perception.
According to experts, use graphics, images, words, and expressions that are easy and quick to process. Use attractive colours that boost the confidence of anyone looking at your brand.
The resulting impression should be favourable.
Brand Recognition
The logo is like a familiar place. When in a big city or a new place, you are always looking for a familiar image, symbol, place, person, sound, and such other aspects of life.
The logo works the same way. Immediately once one sees a logo, he knows that the product it represents will be available in that area. This is a very reassuring feeling.
Imagine you need desperately money and cannot see an ATM for your bank. Such a scenario comes with anxiety and uncertainty.
Anything that looks similar to an ATM or bank will elicit excitement.
The logo works the same way. People recognize your presence in town, building, sponsored events, and other branding spaces.
They will be proud to be associated with your brand and are sure that any services they may require from you will be available in the area.
Fosters Brand Loyalty
Look at the way people identify and defend their favourite sporting teams. In some areas, loyalty is so intense that people fight for their brands.
They buy merchandise and are proud to walk around in the brand colours. They form groups, travel together, and make merry for just belonging to the same team.
Countries are the best examples of brand loyalty. If you are in a strange place and someone passes with the flag or anything that identifies your country, you are immediately jolted into action.
You follow the person and engage in conversations. You instantly become friends and plan future meetings in the new place, yet you are strangers.
Logos operate in the same way. They build communities that are bonded by brand loyalty. The communities may be virtual or in places where a large group can be found.
If the logo is easy to recognize, memorable, and attractive, it increases the chances of bonding.
Build Trust in your Business
A logo will inspire confidence in your business. The first role of a logo is to make your brand appear professional. As people interact with your business or hear about it, they begin to identify you with the logo.
They also see your activity and positive reviews in public spaces. Such are some of the tricks that brands use to strengthen the trust that people have in their products.
The colours, graphics, and message on the logo will also inspire trust. Look at the tagline on company logos. When the brand community meets, it rides on the wave of this tagline.
They compose songs around the brand. When more people identify with the brand, others are pulled towards it, making it easier to sell your products or services.
Proof of Professionalism
Professional proof is one of the strongest reasons you should have a logo. The logo is an identifier. People have something they can associate with your products or services.
It feels like a physical address for your products or services. It is proof that you exist as a company and can be held responsible or people have something to attribute their satisfaction to.
Without a logo, it will appear as though you do not exist.
Creating Emotional Connections
How does the sight of a logo of your favourite coffee or pizza company make you feel? Think about the logo of your high school or university.
Such are instances where the emotional connection is extremely strong.
Market statistics are in support of emotional connections to brands. For instance, over 80% of customers think that the colour of a brand is important when they are making a decision. 93% of buyers admit making purchase decisions based on visual features.
Such are some of the statistics that give you an idea of the value attached to logos and branding. If you want to win the hearts of your potential customers, you should have a logo that reflects your brand identity.
Create Consistency
The expense of a rebranding exercise goes beyond creating a logo and printing new merchandise. The exercise comes with lost trust and displeasure from customers who loved your previous look.
Other customers identify you by the logo or other graphics associated with your brand. Changes during rebranding, therefore, result in losses that are difficult to quantify.
To avert these losses, entrepreneurs should build the strongest logo and brand image from the beginning. You avoid disappointing people through rebranding, even though the exercise would be warranted.
A strong logo from the beginning helps you maintain a consistent image over the years to avoid disappointing customers who may have grown accustomed to the image.
Overall, you will avoid expenses associated with rebranding.
A logo is a brand identifier that must send the right message to customers and the entire market where you operate. Make it simple and memorable from the beginning to endear your clients to the brand in the long run.
Above all, choose words and graphics that will convince potential customers that you are a professional outfit.
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Author Bio
Anna is a professional writer who has been providing dissertation online help for years. She is also passionate about entrepreneurship for college students. She shares tips about her journey in college and how she earned her first salary while still studying.