9 Reasons To Invest In Branding + Web Design
So, you’ve decided to start your own business—and now you’re thinking about how investing in branding and web design fit into the mix… and whether they’re worth it.
Investing in your business can feel like a big, scary task, especially in the beginning, before you’re completely certain about how much everything costs, and which investments should be your priority.
In this post, we’re covering the top 2 new-business-owner basics: branding, and web design. To learn more about whether or not they’re worth it, keep reading!
Branding
By now, you’ve probably realized that you’ll need (at the very least) a logo for your business in order to get started. But did you know how beneficial having an entire custom brand identity can be?
Brand consistency increases revenue by more than 33% on average—read on to find out why!
1 - MAKE A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION
When a potential new lead is introduced to you, your main concern should be how they perceive your brand. And, as the cliche suggests, people often do judge a book by its cover. Or, rather, a business by its branding.
With a cohesive brand identity, you can be sure that you’re making a good first impression on anyone who interacts with your business.
2 - ESTABLISH AN ELEMENT OF TRUST WITH YOUR PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Even if they have no graphic design experience whatsoever, people can tell the difference between a business with a solid brand identity, and a business without one. Guess which one they’re going to choose…
(Spoiler alert: it’s the one with the cohesive branding.)
Businesses with cohesive branding are more successful because customers and clients view their clean, consistent visual identity as a direct link to the business’s capabilities.
Think about it: would you trust a brand that seemingly threw together a couple mismatched colors and used a screenshot of their business name in Times New Roman as their logo? Or would you prefer to invest in a business that has a consistent color palette throughout all of its materials, from website to social to packaging, visually appealing logos, and a signature font that effortlessly expresses their overall aesthetic? I think we both know the answer to that…
By building a solidified brand identity, you’re proving to your target audience that you’re a professional worth trusting and investing in.
3 - REAP THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A CLEARLY-DEFINED STRATEGY TO GUIDE YOU
Despite popular belief, creating a brand identity for your business is a lot more than colors, fonts, and mood boards—it’s a strategic process that dives deep into your mission, your values, your target market, your core offerings, and more.
Investing in branding will result in all of the beautiful visual elements, sure, but the strategy is one of the most beneficial parts, because it will act as your guiding principle for years to come.
4 - ATTRACT YOUR IDEAL CLIENT
Although you may think that your words are what attract your ideal client, you’re only half right. Branding is a huge part of the puzzle.
Because we’re so drawn to brands that match our aesthetic (how many times have you bought something just because you liked the packaging?), most people will make a decision about whether or not they’re willing to read on, follow, or interact with your business based on your visual identity.
And this makes attracting your ideal client with branding easy! Remember that strategy element we just discussed?
When working with a branding designer, they’ll guide you through the process of discovering who your ideal client is, and they’ll work with you to select a brand identity that not only feels authentic to you, but one that will best resonate with your target audience.
(Pssstt...if you’ve been looking for a brand designer, click here to browse my services!)
5 - ESTABLISH YOUR VALUE AND YOUR UNIQUE PLACE IN YOUR INDUSTRY
When a potential client is able to discern you from your competitors because they’re familiar with your colors, logo, type suite, etc
Website Design
Potentially unpopular opinion: all businesses should have a website. The benefits are simply too good to pass up! If designed properly, your website can have a major impact on how successful your business is. Keep scrolling to learn 4 reasons investing in a new website—and web design—is worth every penny!
6 - CREATE A VIRTUAL HOME FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Giving your brand and business a home is extremely vital to your success. And, because most people will likely first come across your brand online given the digital landscape we live in, your web design matters now more than ever.
7 - WELCOME YOUR USERES WITH AN EASY-TO-NAVIGATE, VISUALLY APPEALING SPACE
When people scroll over to your site, they’re going to have a lot of questions. First and foremost, who are you? Then, inevitably, what can you do for me? And then, ideally, how can I hire you?
If your website isn’t designed in an easy, visually appealing manner that points your readers to exactly where they want to go, you run the risk of those leads clicking “X” before they even get to know you.
In working with a website designer, not only will you get a gorgeous website to show off to the world; you’ll get a strategically-designed site that ensures your users will have the best possible experience. (And side note: a positive user experience is one of the main things that Google looks for in recommending a site to its searchers!)
8 - GIVE YOUR BRAND PERMANENCE AMONG THE UNCERTAINTY OF SOCIAL MEIDA
Let’s be honest: we have absolutely no idea what the future of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest will be. When you bank on social media being your main platform for advertising your business and your services, I hate to break it to ya, but you’re operating a bit too close to the wild side.
Not only does launching a website help you protect yourself against the uncertainty of social media, but it gives your brand permanence. It tells the world that your brand means business, and that it’s here to stay.
Bonus tip: when someone comes across your website online, if your web design looks amazing and your copy is convincing, no one will be able to tell when you first started your business—helping you portray yourself as an experienced professional. But when someone finds you on Instagram, they can easily scroll back to your first post and see when you started, which may be a determining factor in their choice to hire you.
9 - BENEFIT FROM SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TOOLS
As a creative entrepreneur, it’s absolutely crazy just how much SEO can impact your success—and with a website, getting found on Google is a lot easier than the tech gurus make it seem. Your website hosting platform, no matter which one you choose, will allow you to optimize your content to help your ideal clients find you with the ease of a quick search, helping you gain more traction online, and (hopefully!) increase your leads + meet new potential clients.
It’s no secret that working with a professional to design your brand identity and website comes with a big price tag—but you’ll effortlessly earn back that investment very quickly with the support of your cohesive brand identity, easy-to-navigate site, and strategy.
