10 Fool-Proof Branding Rules for 2023

During uncertain times and when markets are unpredictable, your branding needs to remain consistent even when your budget and margins aren’t. This is simpler to achieve than it sounds.

Stick with these ten basic rules, and you’ll always weather the worst and succeed in the long term.

1. Be truthful

Be honest about your business. Don’t try to pretend to be something you’re not. Never overpromise and underdeliver. Manage expectations. Say the hard things.

2. Be clear

Never hide behind industry jargon or confuse your consumer with ‘fancy” or ‘frilly” superficiality. Now, more than ever, consumers seek to know exactly where they stand. So tell them.

3. Be consistent

Say what you mean and do what you say. Talk the talk and walk the walk. The same way every time. Have processes in place to help you. Have forms, systems, tools that keep the customer journey feeling safe. Consistency breeds trust. And consumer trust is the key to the kingdom.

4. Don’t overdo

Well-managed expansion and growth mean mastering key areas before moving into other areas. Don’t rush. Don’t be greedy.

Your main competitor is killing it on Twitter? That’s okay. Maybe Twitter isn’t your platform. You don’t have to be all things to everyone. Always start by doing less well than by doing too many things half-heartedly.

5. Be sincere

Read through your company’s core values every once in a while. Is your business still aligned with what you wanted to bring into the world of commerce? Have you changed course? Whatever the answer, communicate your brand truth. That means you need to be clear about what that looks like.

6. Have fun

Nothing is more infectious and inspiring to customers than a company having fun doing what they do. You’re stuck doing this thing for 8 to 12 hours a day on average, so make sure you’re having some. And if you’re not, look at why not, and change it up. Fun sells. And it makes work gratifying.

7. Look the part

A branding agency is like a personal stylist for companies so if you’re having a branding identity crisis, call us.

You want to be: Tight. Sharp. Together. Professional. Tidy.

You do not want to be: Sloppy. Overly busy. All over the show.

If you’re pink tie-dye and Comic Sans with a hint of Reggae and Times New Roman, you’ve got problems. Streamline your look. We can show you how.

8. Share success

Sharing success means two things. It means telling those tales of good fortune so people can celebrate with you and be excited by your upward trajectory, but it also means looking after the team that got you there. If customers see you reward your hardworking people, and your innovators, they’ll like you even more.

9. Give back

We’re all part of a bigger picture. Corporate social investment matters. Choose a charitable cause and help them. Properly. Don’t just pay lip service. Don’t just throw money at something to look good. Making society kinder and better makes your business kinder and better too.

10. Keep refining

Never become complacent. We always have areas we can improve upon. But you need to relook and revisit and reevaluate. It’s the only way you grow a clean, healthy, and strong brand.

Need any help with the points above? Our strategic creative marketing team is prepped and ready to dive in there with you in 2023.