Great branding can go a long way.

You’ve got a product or a service that you thoroughly believe in and know will click with customers, so you set up an online shop (whether on social media or on a shopping platform) and wait for the money to come in. Build it and they will come, and all that jazz, right? It sounds almost too easy, until you realize that you aren’t really getting any patrons.

If you’ve got a Big Idea that you can’t seem to sell and you feel you’ve done everything right, you may want to revisit an important detail you probably missed (or took for granted): branding. Branding, after all, gives your business its personality, and makes it more accessible and relatable to your audiences.

Clare Ros, co-founder of streaming app Kumu, shares how you can improve your branding, from your logo to your message:

Kumu co-founder Clare Ros

Understand what branding really means.

“Branding is not about a pre-conceived or specific aesthetic such as a clean, minimalist look, (though I do love minimalism),” she says in a release. “Great branding can also embrace the messy and unexpected. It can be whimsical or regimented. As long as a cohesive identity system is in place, an effective brand will feel natural and distinct regardless of its aesthetic style.”

Don’t be afraid to tap on hugot.

“Be authentic, contextually-aware, and unafraid to reach your audience on an emotional level. This could mean employing a bold design, or utilizing a quieter approach. Pay attention to context and communicate in a way that it resonates within that setting.”

Experiment, experiment, experiment.

“It’s rare you’ll make your best work on the first attempt. Push yourself to work outside of your comfort zone even if it means you’re making work that doesn’t sit right with you at first. This is the space where you’ll typically grow,” she shares. “If you fall back on proven routines from the beginning, it’s unlikely you’ll innovate your designs or thinking. So be sure to push yourself and try new things!”

Original post on Female Network on October 20, 2019 — https://www.femalenetwork.com/work-money/clare-ros-branding-kumu-a00189-20191020