Why Successful Branding Takes Time
They say “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” I love this adage because it visualizes how remarkable things take time to create. And I wholeheartedly believe the same holds true for successful brand experiences.
Surprisingly, that opinion may come across as controversial, especially through the lens of current brand & web design trends. I’ve seen an uptick in “Brand Design in a Week!” or “Website in a Day!” services, and while those may be beneficial in the short term, I believe they devalue the time, care, and thought your brand deserves. What happened to user or audience feedback? Sitting with something and making sure it feels 100% aligned? Those quick-fix services may serve you in the moment, but will they in a month? 6 months? A few years?
(An important disclaimer: There is absolutely no judgement if quick-fix services are a route you choose for your branding needs and what you feel is best for you at this time. There definitely is a time, place, and demand for those services. That said, if you are a serious entrepreneur that is wanting to build a premium brand that lasts, then I advise against those solutions as you likely won’t achieve the results your brand deserves.)
A brand is not something you want to rush. It is more than just your logo, or your social media content, or your website. A brand is an outward expression of who you are, what your business does & stands for, who you serve, and why you do what you do. People don’t connect with designs. They connect with stories.
“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.”
Consider all of the time and effort it takes to create a successful brand:
Strategic Alignment:
The best brands come from a place of alignment — alignment with your values, your audience’s needs, and your business goals. And the process of developing a brand strategy that feels 100% aligned takes time!
When I was thinking about how I wanted to structure my my Refined & Aligned brand consulting program, I wanted to be very intentional about how long I wanted to work with my clients. Rather than offering one-off sessions, or even a month of consulting, I decided to make my program a multi-month engagement. Why? Because I want my clients to walk away with a brand that feels 100% aligned, and I wanted to leave the space for that magic to happen. With those three months, I am able to give my clients the most valuable possible and set their brands up for the best success (and as such, many of my clients choose to extend our time together because they realize how valuable that guidance and alignment is to their brands).
Creative Execution:
Once complete alignment has been achieved and a strategy has been made, that’s where the creative execution comes in — think logo design, website design, brand photography, etc. Even then, these projects shouldn’t be rushed by any means and will likely take another 3+ months to complete. It’s important to pencil in time for thoughtful review of work, intentional feedback, and space to refine and test before finalizing the creative work and launching it to your community.
Brand Experience:
Once those creative projects have been executed, the work on building a successful brand is far from over. What about your brand experience — the experience your audience and people you do business with have with your brand? Time should be dedicated thinking through your client / customer service protocol, ways you can surprise and delight your audience, and your brand experience as a whole. How do you want people to feel interacting with your brand?
Brand Resiliency:
After all is said and done, it’s just as important to remember to build flexibility into your brand. I often remind my clients that brand guidelines should be a living, breathing document. You’ll likely add things, take things away, and refine your branding over time as your business grows and objectives change.
As you can see, successful branding is (and should be) a continuous project and priority if you’re a serious entrepreneur hoping to create an aligned, successful, premium brand. Your brand is something that should be nurtured, cultivated, and updated, to shift as you & your business shift throughout its many growth phases. And it’s so important as a founder to give your brand the time, care, and attention it deserves — it will give you all that, and more, in return.
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