Do I *Really* Need a Brand?

Even if I wasn't trying to sell you on buying a brand from me, I would still say YES YOU DO.

And you maybe don't see why, but let me explain it.

Okay you go on websites right?

So you've surely landed on a website for a restaurant you were considering.

You go browsing for something for dinner, knowing there are lots of options nearby, and you want to try something new.

And as you're looking, you're probably checking out the menu, maybe the prices. Those are the concrete things that are dictating whether or not that restaurant gets your business right?

You're not looking at their colours or their logo or any of that stuff to decide whether you're going to like that food.

BUT in the back of your mind, you as a human being have evolved to learn pattern recognition. (like way back when it was an important survival skill to know that that scary thing with teeth is probably similar to the other scary thing with teeth that nearly killed you last week… so, you should avoid this new scary thing with teeth even if you don't know exactly what it is).

Those same survival skills have carried over into our daily lives.

We subconsciously collect clues to help familiarize ourselves with our surroundings and evaluate what we might like and not like.

But none of that is a decision you're making consciously.

This is the part of your brain that branding connects with.

So when you're trying to find a good restaurant, you probably automatically shy away from restaurants that don’t FEEL like ones that you’ve liked before. Or ones that don’t look like they’re meant for people like you.

The style of a website and thus the underlying brand can tell your subconscious brain in a glance if the restaurant is fancy or relaxed, probably what kind of cuisine it is, and the most important thing…

If this place is a trustworthy place to spend my money.

Because while branding helps you align with the places that are designed for you, a lack of branding or of good branding can make sure you completely skip the places that may have been your new favourite.

The pattern recognition survival skills kick in and spot a messy page or confusing info right away, indicating that they may not give you good service, or may overcharge you, or may not be up to food safety standards.

All because of patterns your brain has detected throughout life of other poor websites and their resulting service. And all that info is collected in a glance.

So when you find another nearby restaurant that’s similarly priced with similar food, BUT with a website that looks polished and clear, you automatically trust that that one will give you a better experience overall than the messy one.

A proper brand that, AT THE VERY LEAST, is consistent across platforms is an immediate trust builder.

And a good one can even convince people that you are worth your higher prices or you’ll be better than larger, more experienced competitors.

Hopefully you now see why all of us marketers make such a fuss about branding.

It’s just patterns, survival, and trust.