A Brand Is Not What You Think It Is

Building A Brand

Your brand is not the services you provide.
One of the foundational pieces of running and marketing a business is your brand. Your brand is composed of the style, tone and values that represent your business. There’s an important distinction that has to be made right off the bat — Your brand is not the services you provide.

Think about it this way
From a brand development agency’s perspective, Firehouse Subs and Jersey Mike’s offer basically the same products, and generally the same in-store experience. We can argue about quality and taste, but really, the only differentiator is their branding. Not into sandwiches? Think Moe’s vs. Chipotle.

What is Branding?

When you think about your brand, think about the following:

These branding elements, when done correctly, should be woven into everything that represents your company.

Here are some important questions you should ask yourself about your brand.

Are your colors and fonts consistent across your website, Powerpoint decks, and sales sheets?

Is your tone of voice consistent across your blog, social media channels, and e-blasts?

Are you really communicating your mission and values anywhere other than your About Us page?

What Makes a Strong Brand?

A strong brand conveys an identity that catches the attention of your target audience.

Your company is your baby, we get it. You should feel good about the branding that represents your company. But you can waste countless hours creating brand standards that you love and your customers hate.

Here's a reality check for you: your branding is not meant to appeal to you.

How We Do It

Our brand development team is one of our strongest assets at DSM. They’ve created the brand standards for dozens of New Jersey businesses. When we work on a rebrand with a client, we collaborate to get a lay of the competitive landscape, flesh out their values and mission, map their customers’ journey and establish goals for their business. By the end of that process, our clients get brand standards and guidelines that are the foundation of every marketing piece that goes out the door. The mark of a solid brand development agency right there.

Here’s an example of the brand standards we use at DSM.

Putting Our Best Branding Foot Forward

One of our favorite case studies in branding is the work we did for Best Transportation. In addition to a complete website overhaul, we put together this video that’s just oozing with their branding from the music, to the voice over actor, to the way the shots are edited. This video has helped drive truckloads of new drivers and potential clients to their sales team. Pun fully intended.