Professional graphic designers are experts in branding. They must market themselves to land the best jobs or gigs. They can help your small business shine through their efforts.
The Edelman Brothers Trust Barometer report indicates 81% of consumers have to trust the brands they frequent. Name recognition and dependability play a significant role in whether they see your company as trustworthy.
One of the top ways to build authenticity with your audience is through brand visibility. The more consumers see your name, the more likely they’ll feel you are reliable. Here are some of the top ways of using graphic design to build brand recognition.
1. Create Relevant Logos
Your logo tells consumers a lot about your business. Think about some of the familiar ones in your life. Sometimes it is a word, such as FedEx. However, their logo also gives the feeling of motion to signify they move packages.
Even word-only symbols can add details that send a strong message. Think about your current logo and whether it needs tweaking to tell the world more clearly who you are.
2. Use Window Space
If you own a brick-and-mortar business or a service van, you can utilize decorative window film to grab attention. The cost is minuscule to swap out window films compared to other advertising methods.
You can also use window films to add privacy with a frosted look while showcasing your logo in the design.
3. Design Business Cards
Even though a lot of branding is digital today, there are still networking opportunities available. You might attend a local chamber of commerce meeting or host a booth at a local craft fair. Be prepared with beautifully designed business cards that match the rest of your branding efforts.
Supply all your staff with personalized cards. You never know when one of your employees might meet a new customer or have an opportunity to further brand exposure. They should feel comfortable sharing their information so they can direct the person to company leadership for more details.
4. Send Direct Mail
Direct mail is one of the most considerable portions of advertising spending in the United States, with $38.5 billion spent annually. Sending out a postcard or letter puts you inside the homes of consumers. You have a chance to explain your unique value proposition (UVP).
Once you’ve outlined your UVP and how it benefits customers, you must reinforce the message with follow-up offers and additional branding efforts.
5. Make Beautiful Product Packaging
If you have items on store shelves or ship them directly to customers’ homes, you’ll want to design gorgeous product packaging. The appropriate shipping box can serve as another way to build visibility. Those who deliver and neighbors will see your logo.
Think about your UVP and how to highlight the benefits of choosing you over competitors. You should also consider the colors other companies use. How can you make your display pop against the sea of other choices?
6. Ramp Up Digital Promotions
With more people staying home due to the pandemic, internet usage is up. According to We Are Social, about 4.66 billion people use the internet, an increase of 7.2% over just one year prior. If you aren’t already marketing online, you should be.
However, it’s equally important to develop a style and voice for your social media and content efforts. The look and feel should be similar across all channels. Look for unique visual effects to grab attention.
Don’t rule out the use of videos and animations to stand out from the other elements as a user scrolls down a newsfeed. Survey your customers and ask them what types of content they prefer and then track the analytics to see what works best with your target audience.
7. Offer Infographics
Graphic designers can take complex data and present it in visually appealing graphs and illustrations. Break down complicated topics and make them easy to understand.
Let people share your infographics with appropriate credit. Allowing others to share your work expands your reach and makes your name instantly more recognizable. You can also enlist influencers’ help and have them post snippets of the visuals on their social media profiles. Make your top clients ambassadors for your brand.
For the infographic to be genuinely effective, the first figure out the pain points your customers have. What are their top struggles, and how can you solve them with the expertise you have? Once you have a clear understanding of the problems, it’s much easier to create content users want.
8. Fine Tune Your Website
Ask your graphic designer to go over your website with a keen eye for branding detail. They should replace any elements that don’t tie into your style guide. A redesign is also an excellent opportunity to incorporate a few trends to show consumers your site is contemporary.
A good designer can step back and look at the big picture and make tweaks to suit your personality as a brand better. Even a tiny change, such as adding a color overlay to some images, can pull everything together and give you a more branded look.
Take Opportunities
As you grow your business, you’ll find opportunities to increase brand visibility. Take every chance you can. If someone asks you to guest blog, create content in exchange for a link back to your site. Post on social media, create infographics, produce how-to videos, tweak your design and be aware of how your company looks to the outside world.
Brand visibility builds over time with repeated effort. Seek out the same audience and expose them to your name over and over. With time, you’ll gain new clients and word-of-mouth marketing.
Guest Author: Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.
