What bad branding is costing you

Is your branding costing you customers?

It sounds dramatic, but it’s a question worth asking your business. 

A business’ visual identity is more than just your logo and colour palette. It’s the entire visual system that communicates who you are and what you do with consistency and clarity. 

Think of branding like a signal. When it’s good, it’s clear what you’re saying and who the message is for. When it’s bad, it  can easily lead to customer confusion. 

How small businesses get branding wrong

Sometimes bad branding is obvious; and sometimes it’s not. 

If the end goal is our three C’s of communication, consistency and clarity, bad branding might look like: 

Inconsistent visuals: Using different fonts, logos, and color palettes across your website, marketing collateral, and social media.

A tone of voice that doesn’t land: Writing in a tone that’s wrong for your audience or changes across multiple touch points. 

Too many messages: Trying to appeal to all people with different messaging every other week.

Does branding really create value?

Yes. Think about the brands that you admire. They’re often instantly recognisable across their website, digital media and physical packaging. Take Apple. Across every touchpoint of their business you know what to expect; minimal packaging, products that work with no learning curve, sleekness and innovation. 

Apple take this expectation across every part of their business. It’s why their website is seamless to navigate. It’s also why their physical packaging is often as innovative as the product it’s housing. Branding isn’t just the way things look. It’s the way they function too. 

Bad banding can create friction for customers that gets in between their problem and your solution.

What bad branding could be doing to your business

Losing leads

Consistent branding is what builds credibility. If a potential customer clicks on a digital ad and is taken to a website with a different visual language, it can raise serious questions about whether they’ve arrived at the right place. 

Confusing customers

Recently, a client recently showed us a PDF that looked nothing like the visual identity created for their brand a few months earlier. It was about to be sent to an existing customer. 

Consistency is still important for your current customers, (and especially after a re-brand) as it creates brand recognition. Imagine if BNZ sent you an email with a version of their logo you’ve never been before. 

From a practical standpoint, it also makes it easier for customers to find your product, whether they’re looking for a branded letter or a physical product.

• Weakening your credibility
• Campaigns that don’t land
• Missed talent