Do you want people to instantly recognize your company? Do you want those same people to associate your brand with positive emotions? If you want to succeed in business, the answer to those questions is simple: you do. That means you need a great logo to use when building your brand. Your customers will transfer their feelings about your company to your logo and vice versa; your logo should fit your business, engage customers and be memorable.
Every choice you and your logo designer make for your logo affects public perception of your business. Your branding sets expectations. When you fulfill those expectations, you build loyalty and strengthen your brand, leading to a cycle of brand reinforcement … but only if you do it right.
Your Logo Makes a Promise
Regardless of the quality of your logo, when consumers see it they assume certain things about your company. Thankfully, you have the power to decide whether their first impressions are positive or negative. If your logo communicates your business attitude — dedicated, kind, efficient, personable or something else that sums up your company — then customers will engage with your business expecting to see those qualities. That's what makes color psychology so important when you're having a logo created. Evoke emotions that align with the experience you offer. If customer expectations align closely with what you offer, customers will rate your customer service more highly.
Fulfill Your Promises
You must set customers' expectations before they engage with your business, but after that, you have the most important step of all: meeting expectations. If you make amazing promises but only deliver mediocre results, your customers will feel the disconnect and disengage from your brand. Use your branding as the framework for your customer experience.
Design your policies and procedures around the expectations you build. If customers expect a professional, efficient transaction, don't give your employees polos and khakis; likewise, if you promise a fun, entertaining experience, don't dress in a suit and tie. Decorate according to your company values, too. Instruct your staff not only in the mechanics of their jobs, but the feelings they need to embody for your customers.
Build Loyalty With Continuity
The outcome of making a promise with your branding and fulfilling it with your customer experience is continuity. New people will walk into your store or office with an expectation and leave with a strong opinion of your company. Customer loyalty comes from ensuring that opinion is positive.
Conversely, if you don't deliver on your promises, potential consumer champions will align against you. Take the now-infamous Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona, for example. The restaurant's decor and logo set expectations of a friendly, warm place to enjoy a fine meal. The reality, however, was quite the opposite for customers who complained of harsh treatment from the owners. The negative reviews resulted in nationwide bad press.
Give your customers good reason to trust your brand. Don't turn people into opponents, even if you disagree with them. Instead, reach out to anyone who has a negative experience and offer reconciliation. Take those who could be your worst critics and turn them into loyal customers.
Be proactive in your branding efforts. Promise only what you can deliver and then do so. If you own a pizza restaurant, don't package yourself the way a 4-star French restaurant does. If you have a small, family-owned business, don't try to look like a humorless corporation. Identify your strengths, use them in your branding and deliver on your promises. That's the only way to build true customer loyalty.
