author
Munaza YousAf
reading time
6 minutes, 16 seconds
Everyone makes blunders sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them and go on.
A mistake happens, which is clearly undesirable for designers and small businesses alike. You want people to have a positive impression of your company whenever they see your brand. Products with positive public perception are more likely to be sold and used.
You also can’t let weak branding ruin your company’s reputation. Getting people to like your brand is essential if you want them to purchase your stuff. Your brand’s reputation is on the line. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to avoid common pitfalls.
Here are the six ugly branding mistakes designers & small business must avoid!
Targeting the wrong audience
have you ever convinced someone with a passing interest in a laptop to buy one? If that’s the case, you can stop wondering why your business isn’t successful. You’ve obviously gotten off on the wrong foot. It’s evidence that you’re making the common blunder of marketing to the incorrect demographic while operating a small company. You need to do your homework like this before entering the market. Selling a youthful trend to an older gentleman will similarly fail to provide desirable outcomes.
Furthermore, if you already have a well-established market, you can’t expect to surprise customers with your new products.
For example, if you run a fitness company that specializes in selling protein bars to fit people and then you try to branch out and sell ice cream components to the same group of people, you can be sure that your business will fail faster than you can even fathom.
That’s why you need a buyer persona to narrow in on your ideal customer. You could apply “minor change” to create a fictitious profile of your ideal client based on existing data.
Knowing who you’re trying to reach is the first step in achieving success. You should also customize your language to the specific audience you’re targeting. You can’t communicate with an english-speaking person in french.
You must also customize your brand’s identity to the people who will be exposed to it.
Failing to research competitors
as a new business, you need to start researching as much as possible about competitors. You have to put yourself in their shoes to find out where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
Once you’ve done the research, you’ll know where you stand and how to elevate your brand above the competition. Everything from products and services to customers and websites to social media platforms should factor into your investigation.
Everything from products and services to audiences and websites to social media platforms should be included in the research you do.
Researching your competition is essential if you want to set yourself out from the pack. You can still manage your company if you don’t do it, but you’ll never build a name for yourself.
Lacking a consistent brand identity
consistency is necessary to establish the trust of your intended audience, which should be your primary goal. Customers will get confused if you alter your brand’s character too often, and they will lose trust in your company as a result.
You need a brand guideline if you can’t figure out how to maintain your brand reputation on your own. Brand guidelines outline the acceptable and inappropriate uses of your brand. Basically, all you have to do is stick to it.
In addition, you can hand over guidelines to any agency or person you hire. A consistent brand is easier to promote and recognize.
For an example of the right rebranding, check out this link.
Maintaining a consistent brand image inspires trust, and consumers are more likely to buy from a company that they feel they can count on.
Putting profits above customers
we keep saying “trust, trust,” yet we never seem to grasp its true meaning. In our pursuit of profit, we have neglected our customers, who are eventually the secret to our success.
You need to pay attention to how your customers feel about your brand to see if they are happy or not. Customers are unlikely to return to a brand that does not make an effort to ensure their satisfaction.
Moreover, repeat business is where the real money is made. Bad packing is one of the things that might lower consumer satisfaction. Sometimes, we put effort into the products we sell, yet our lack of investment in the packaging turns off buyers.
Furthermore, slow responses to client emails and incompetent service representatives may also create a negative impression.
The website is the last critical issue that requires addressing. You need a theme that is both fast and straightforward to use. Fixing these issues is also essential for satisfied customers.
Leading a team without training
since you are the head of your company’s staff, training is your responsibility. The first step is to ensure they are familiar with the brand’s standards. You and your group will benefit from being on the same page.
You should also set up a meeting with them to go over the brand rules in detail and make sure they understand everything.
Furthermore, you should provide your staff with the exact hex code for your trademark colors. Hex codes are used to guarantee that color appears correctly on all computers despite the user’s display settings.
If you are training your staff in a better manner, then there are going to be nearly no possibilities of errors, and your brand can grow in a better way.
Selling what rather than why
we always put a lot of effort into making sure our goods are of high quality. Selling them used to be our main goal, but what we should really be thinking about is why we are selling them. What is our vision, and how are we aiming to achieve it?
Apple, a well-known brand, promotes the idea that “think different” in regards to computers. What they’re selling is a way of life, not simply a piece of technology. In the same way, you need to reflect on your reasons for selling this product and the positive impact it is having on customers’ lives.
Moreover, people are taking action to improve society by purchasing environmentally friendly goods, which are now trending.
We can all agree that product management is a difficult task, but remember that a successful business is about more than just selling products; there are plenty of other companies out there doing the same thing. What really matters is the message you are conveying and the reason you are selling this product.
In a nutshell
you need to take care of your brand if you want your brand to take care of you. One of your responsibilities as a business owner is to steer clear of actions that might potentially be financially disastrous.
You’re probably already familiar with the six ugly branding mistakes. Now, all you have to do is stick to them.
First, you must research rivals so that you can more accurately comprehend your target market and develop your brand persona. It’s going to help you in so many ways.
In addition, make brand guidelines and follow them. Teach your staff about your brand’s dos and don’ts. Finally, be sure to always follow your brand’s guidelines.
Furthermore, people who have been around for a while know that the best way to grow professionally and personally is to avoid making mistakes. See the secret sauce behind jotform’s huge growth by clicking here. In the interview, steve hartert spills the beans on the challenges he faced and how he drove growth, which can provide valuable insights to you.