I help online entrepreneurs build brands and businesses. I see these 5 mistakes every single day. Some of them just hurt my eyes… Others hurt my soul.
Your branding is one of the single most important aspects of your business. It represents you and your business in a visual way. It sets the tone on how people see you. Your value. Your offerings. Your worth. … I could keep going but….
Let’s dive in:
Branding mistake #1: Using too many colors.
Honey, I like rainbows, unicorns and butterflies as much as the next person but … please. A little restraint. Unless you are planning on being the next Lisa Frank, calm it down just a hair.
A good way to think of it is like putting together an outfit. You’ll have one “main” color, one “accent” color and one quirky, fun “pop” color. So if your brand was an outfit, you start with your boring black dress, add turquoise earrings, maybe a belt to match and a bracelet… And then make the outfit pop with some tangerine shoes.
This doesn’t mean you can ONLY use 3 colors… but 3 main colors, plus black and white and you’ve got a pretty solid palette.
Branding mistake #2: Trying to look like someone else.
Ok. I swear I’m not a fashion nut but I’m going to bring it back to fashion again. It is one thing to love a certain celebrities style and be inspired by their make-up or hair…. and it’s a whole ‘nother thing to completely copy them, piece by piece with the same exact clothes, make-up and hair. I mean, really… Am I the only one who hated the “Rachel” cut that everyone and their mom got when Friends was the most popular show on TV?
Be YOU. Or whatever version of you that you are becoming. The next level of you is great. Trying to be just like Gina Devee or Marie Forleo is not.
Branding mistake #3: Being a cheap-skate.
Ok… You wouldn’t build your house with shoddy materials and hire some crap crew from the front of the Home Depot to come do the work would you? Same goes for your brand (and anything else related to your business). In general, you get what you pay for.
You don’t have to invest thousands of dollars for quality branding. But please (oh, please) know that if those guys from fiverr or that young girl from some country far, far away had the skill to bring in more than $50 for a logo, they would be doing it. Most of them use pre-made templates where your business name is literally copy and pasted into some cheap design. And legally, unless they own the copyright to those templates, you risk being sued by the original artist.
Or as my grandfather used to say, “Good stuff ain’t cheap and cheap stuff ain’t good”.
Branding mistake #4: Taking it too seriously.
Ok. I know. I just got through telling you how you should really invest in you brand and think about what represents you as a person and as a business and how your brand is one of the biggest decisions you’re going to make. It is. HOWEVER. It is not life & death.
Here’s a little secret: Regardless of WHAT you decide on today, your brand will change. Maybe a little. Maybe a lot.
How are you to know exactly how your business will be operating in one year or five years. It will evolve and so will your brand along with it. And that’s ok.
You should realistically expect to change your logo & branding once every 2-3 years for major changes and make little tweaks to colors, fonts and accents every 6 months or so. The same thing goes for your wardrobe, the way you decorate your home, the things you eat for supper… We evolve. It’s ok. Don’t get stuck thinking this decision is something you are *stuck* with forever.
Branding mistake #5: Not being consistent.
Confession. This is what trips ME up the most. Being a designer makes it HARDER to stick to one set of design guideline. I want to try ALL THE THINGS…
But really, consistency is so super-important.
About a year ago, I had no clue who David “Avacado” Wolfe was. I still have no idea what he really does but I DO know his brand when I see it. That font. That logo. I know it immediately. He’s been super-consistent in always posting the same type of images online with the same font, same logo and same placement of his logo.
Another example is one of my favorite people Gary Vaynerchuck – or Gary Vee … His brand is instantly recognizable… a little bit dark, a little bit gritty… but that is who HE is as a person and it totally works for him.
Another person who has their consistency game on lock-down is Danielle Laporte. Although her brand has several colors and several elements, I instantly know who it is when I see her branding… Unless it’s one of the copy-cats… and then I’m instantly turned OFF when I see those…. which brings you back to Branding Mistake #2.
So what’s the answer?
Simple. Pick 3 colors. Pick a “feeling” for your business… A high emotion word. And infuse that feeling into everything that you do when it comes with your brand. My word is “adventure”. Can you tell?
Hire the best designer you can with the budget you have. Having a basic color scheme and a feel to your business BEFORE you get in touch with a designer will make the project so much more fun and rewarding for both of you.
Good luck and HAVE FUN!!
