As small business owners and entrepreneurs, we need to be able to wear several different hats, including that of marketers. Unlike big brands with in-house designers, we need to be able to create the graphics we need for all the channels we run. Creating this relevant and exciting visual content for blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are time-consuming and complex, especially without the appropriate knowledge, creative flair and what appears to be several different and expensive resources. Canva makes all this much more accessible!
Canva is a game changer when creating showstopping content on a shoestring, which is instrumental to small business owners who want to build their brand without breaking the bank! As we learnt in the previous unit, creating a brand is not just about creating a logo but creating our story and with a wealth of social media platforms at our disposal, Canva provides us with the tools we require to do just that.
Throughout our Skills Bootcamp in Digital Marketing, we will introduce you to Canva with its whole host of professional templates, images and content and give you the skills and knowledge required to use these to bring your products and service to life and put them in front of your customers.
As a small business owner with many things to consider, colour may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about your brand and branding. Different colours have different qualities. For example, brands like Audi, Apple and Chanel choose neutral colours like black and grey, often depicting premium or luxury. You may, for example, have chosen the colour red for your product label. Have you considered that this colour creates a sense of urgency and increases appetite? Hence, it makes it a popular choice for many food chains. Is this then still suitable for your product or service? Colour affects the entire outcome of branding and advertising as consumers’ brains use colour to recognise products and the brands that make them. Therefore, colour plays a much more significant role in influencing what customers purchase than you might think! Knowing the power of colour psychology will help you make better decisions whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or consumer.
As mentioned in the previous blog, your logo represents your brand but is not your brand. So let’s look at colour, fonts, and logo design and how these portray your business’ personality. Even small businesses need an identity, and as the saying goes, “You have one chance to create a first impression.” Your logo is a great way to make a first impression on potential customers. They will have plenty of time to get to know you better in the future but at the start, having a logo says a lot about your business. A business logo should be easy to recognise in small and large print. You want your customers to quickly recognise it, whether it’s a social media advert on their phone, embroidered on a t-shirt, or advertised on a billboard.
Your logo should be simple and not compete with those of other businesses. You don’t want to launch an advertising campaign with something that customers confuse with a trademarked logo, as this could land your new business in legal hot soup before it even starts!
A brand style guide or brand guideline is a rule book and instruction manual on how to communicate your brand. You can create your guide in either a physical or digital booklet. This will lay out the visual details, include notes that reflect your company’s voice, tone, and messaging, and make references and examples of what to do and not do.
Brand guidelines comprehensively cover a company’s brand identity, including its:
- Logos: full logos, secondary logos, and icons
- Colour palette: primary and secondary colours
- Typography: font styles, sizes, and spacing
- Other imagery: photos, illustrations, and artwork
- Voice and tone: how the brand uses language and emotion
Why are brand guidelines important?
Your brand style guide will ensure that your brand stays consistent no matter where it is used, generating familiarity and reliability, leading to brand loyalty with your customers.
