3 Branding Misconceptions That Hurt Your Business

We’ve met a lot of entrepreneurs over the years at DesignGood. And, unfortunately, we often hear misconceptions or misunderstandings about branding from them that hamper the success of some very promising businesses. So today we want to set the record straight when it comes to the importance of branding — especially when to start building your brand.

Branding Misconception #1: ‘I need to be in business a few years before creating a brand.’

We get where entrepreneurs who say this are coming from. Branding takes time and resources, and we know that when you take the plunge, you want to do things right. However, we disagree with the idea that you should wait a few years to brand your business. Instead, we believe that delaying branding also delays your success.

You might be hesitating to build your brand because you don’t know enough yet about what you want your business to be or where you want it to go. So let us reassure you: Creating your brand will also make your business stronger. That’s because the branding process as we teach it at DesignGood helps you get clear on key foundations of business success, like your unique expertise and the specific audience you want to serve.

It’s also important to remember that an authentic and intentional brand can grow and evolve as your business changes. Take DesignGood, for example. Our business has changed a lot from even five years ago. We’ve continuously refined our offerings based on our audience’s needs and our own growth. But the core of who we are — our passion for design, our dedication to helping businesses thrive and our spiritual side — has remained the same. In the same way, our brand has kept the same essence even as it has evolved. We’ve taken our business and brand to the next level not by waiting to get things “just right” but by taking action, which has given us invaluable information about what works both for our audience and for us.

We firmly believe that there’s something downright magical about taking the big step of starting to build your brand. It changes your energy, and it changes your business’s energy. When your brand is polished and professional, your audience assumes the same of you.And that starts to call in the people, projects and opportunities you desire.

Branding Misconception #2: ‘A brand is just a logo and a website, right?

Well, no. Yes, your logo and your website are branding tools. But your actual brand is something much bigger. Here is how we define branding at DesignGood:

Your brand is everything someone thinks about when they think about your business. It’s what you look like. It’s what you sound like. And it’s how you make people feel. Your brand is that tool that helps you achieve things you want for your business and your life.

In other words, your brand is a big deal. And branding goes a lot deeper than making your business “look cool.” Your logo and website could be stunningly beautiful, but if they don’t authentically reflect who you are and speak to the audience you want to serve, then they won’t be effective. 

Branding Misconception #3: ‘My website doesn’t bring in business, so I don’t need to invest in it.’  

If you’re feeling this way, we would point out that you might not be aware of the opportunities that you are missing. Your website is often the deciding factor in whether a prospective client or customer takes the next steps with your business. They are looking at your site for evidence that you can deliver the results you promise. If your site feels dated, bland or chaotic, or if it doesn’t clearly deliver the information your prospects are looking for, they’re going to look for another business that seems better able to meet their needs.

Even if only a handful of people visit your site each month, whether they arrive there via Google or from a referral, it could still make a big difference for your business if your website converts just a few more people each month from visitors to customers. 

Bottom line: If you’re not impressed with your website, chances are your audience isn’t, either. And that’s costing you money.

Coming Soon: A Brand-New Course from DesignGood

In case you couldn’t tell, we believe the most powerful thing you can do right now to accelerate the success of your business is to start building your brand. You can do that as a DesignGood client (contact us to get started) and, soon, through our new course More Flow, Less Hustle. In this online course, you’ll follow the steps, strategies and practices that have worked time and again to create powerful results for DesignGood clients. Through these heartfelt and practical lessons, you’ll clarify your unique value, the audience you want to serve, how to shape or reshape your business and how to use your brand to reach your goals. Want to be the first to learn when More Flow, Less Hustle launches? Get on the list for updates.