Attracting clients has always been at the top of the priority list for businesses. And as customers become savvier, companies must look at how they can encourage brand loyalty. Honing in on those high-quality clients that cultivate long-lasting relationships and will return time and time again.
Research shows that 56% of customers stay loyal to brands that “get them.” So how do you go about attracting loyal clients? In reality, you need to get their attention. And on top of that, you need to build lasting trust and loyalty. To do this, you want to create a brand that reflects you and is attractive to your ideal client.
Standing Out in the Right Way
There are many ways to be noticed in business, from bright colour choices to jokes that hit too close to the line, but this kind of attention is often shallow and fleeting. Your business needs to create an attention-grabbing brand for the right reasons, but what makes up that brand? Essentially your brand is slices of a pie that, when pieced together, creates the whole of who you are.
The visual side of your branding usually includes your logo, business visuals, colour schemes, and fonts. However, these days a brand stretches far beyond this. Far more than simply colours and images, your brand includes your tone of voice (the words you use), your brand story, the customer experience you offer and even the products you produce and/or services you provide.
The Power of Colour
When considering colours, it’s worth noting that the human brain makes an instant judgement based on colour alone. This means brands should consider the colour they choose from the offset to help them connect to their ideal audience.
Food businesses will choose a colour in their branding that reflects the type of food it offers. McDonald’s, for example. uses the brightest of yellows to convey happiness. Eat a McDonald’s burger, and you’ll feel happy, right?! Another example is the coffee company Costa, which uses red to symbolise warmth and comfort.
Logos are also one of the most powerful ways to represent a brand. Beyond using the right colours, logo designs need to be simple and straightforward, so customers can understand who you are quickly and for the impression to stick! Over-complicated logos can leave a bad impression upon ideal clients and, worst of all, be forgotten easily. Consider Microsoft and Apple for simple and effective logos.
Words, Words, Words
Words are just as influential as imagery in a branding pie. For example, with taglines such as ‘Just Do It’ by Nike or Skittle’s ‘Taste the Rainbow’, both brands have created a tagline that is simple yet powerfully emotive. Additionally, fonts can be the gateway to telling your brand story and having it land the way you need it. A carefully considered font can evoke a feeling before you even read a single word.
From the eerie and fantastical Gothic. the modern Helvetica, or the silly and fun Comic Sans, you might be surprised how differently a brand story can be read by simply altering the font used. And in turn, this can considerably affect how a potential client might view and come to understand your brand. Let the words tell your story, and the font tell your audience what kind of story it is.
Whether it’s professional-looking branding, using powerful colours and simple fonts, or a more casual one with brighter colours and rounded fonts, branding can assist a potential customer in making a favourable decision about your company. So it’s essential to get it right.
Coming soon… In part two of ‘What’s the Attraction’, learn how to redesign your brand to attract your ideal client. For now, why not consider your favourite brands and why they are so attractive to you? And start pulling those ideas together to help you create a truly powerful brand.
