Spotlight on LSM Services: The Importance of Branding Online

It can be overwhelming to develop your business’s visual identity. What colors should you choose? What about the font on your website? What images should you be posting on social media?

When you develop your branding, you’re telling your story – through color, website layout, social posts design, and more.

What is a Brand?

The brand is the story you tell of yourself, your business, your product, and your services. This is what your target customers will interact with. Your brand should always be treated as a living entity. A brand is something we don’t just set and forget. It needs care. For example, it may need a facelift or refresh every once in a while. Your brand is always going to be evolving and finding new ways to express itself, just like you do.

Why is it Important to Develop a Thoughtful Brand?

You don’t want any potential customers or clients to be confused about what your brand is or does. Have you ever heard the statistic that recruiters spend an average of seven seconds reviewing a resume? Apply that same logic to your website, brand packet, and social posts.

When you develop your branding, you’re telling your story – through color, website layout, social posts design, and more. The foundation of a good brand is understanding and owning who you are and what you do. It’s important that you know your story before you begin. If you need help, our team can help you clarify. Our creative team helps you take things step by step. All you need is to come with us with a 50% understanding of your business and we will get you to 100%.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to begin your branding process:

Explain in less than two sentences what your business does. Your branding and logo should support that story instead of adding any confusion. How can this be reflected?
Is someone going to understand your offerings enough to want to keep reading and learning on your website or social media?
- We live in a society that prioritizes instant gratification, so you need to ensure your branding is compelling enough that people won’t scroll past.
How do you want people to see you?

The Creative Process

The creation of your brand is to support your business’s end goal. So, when you are making these branding decisions – font, website URL, colors – ask yourself, is this supporting your goal? It’s important to be honest with yourself. While you may like a color personally, it may not best support your brand.

When you work with our team at Local Social Media, you’ll meet with our Creative Director, Kirstin Brueckmann Kruip. She will begin the process by asking you to tell her about yourself and your business offerings. Kirstin meets with all of our branding and design clients personally because she wants any brand elements – such as your website and logo – to feel personal.

A lot of emotion goes into developing a brand and visual identity. A lot of Kirstin’s questions may seem overwhelming, but it’s important to relax and answer with the first ideas that come to your mind. We ask these questions to keep our clients grounded, instead of getting hung up on the details. All you have to do is talk and Kirstin and her team will turn your thoughts into a clear vision. We take your answers and expertly craft them into a visual identity, brand experience, website copy, social media posts, and whatever else you need to clearly tell your story.