Karima Neghmouchue Shares the Importance of Building an Authentic Brand

A logo is essentially your business’ identification. It should be something memorable, simple, and reflect your business in some way. It’s what will be used on marketing material, social media graphics, your website, and business cards and as the mark of your brand, so everyone can recognize it. A logo, however, is only a small part of your business’ personal brand. Karima Neghmouche is the host of the podcast Creative Minds and also the graphic designer behind Karima Creative, but she does a whole lot more than just designing logos.

Karima works with her clients to dive deeper and develop their personal brand. Half the people who come to Karima want to create a brand for the first time and the other half are looking for help with rebranding their business. “If there’s one point I can make it’s that a brand is more than just your logo. There are so many things to consider for your branding and a logo is just a small piece of that pie,” Karima says. Here’s Karima’s guidance on why your business needs a brand, not just a logo.

Branding allows people to know it’s you

You can’t expect your audience to remember your business name, services, or message if you are not showing up consistently with a consistent brand. If they don’t remember YOU, they won’t remember to WORK with you! You want people to see something and know that you posted it.

Branding makes people trust you

If you had to choose between going to McDonald’s or a place that simply had a sign that said ‘Burgers and Fries’ — you’d probably go with McDonald’s. Why? Because you KNOW their brand. You know what they serve. You know the golden arch. You know that you’ll get an easy fast food experience there as opposed to the other place that doesn’t give much away.

Branding makes people connect with you

By sharing your message, your core values, and showing up consistently, your audience will feel as if they know you. Take for example, you were searching for a business coach. One coach has quote images that were scattered over their social media profile, and didn’t have the same template. The second coach has a cohesive page, consistent messaging, and also shares some personal things about their life. Of the two you would obviously pick the second. People have to know, like and trust you to pay you for a product or service.

Branding makes people refer you

If a previous client cannot remember your logo, business name, values or services — how can you expect them to refer you to someone else? It is so competitive out there and the only way you are going to get referral is by showing up and making sure you are at the forefront of people’s minds. Branding allows you to be relatable, and this allows others to truly connect with you. This will allow them to feel confident enough in referring one of their friends because they TRUST you! It’s all about creating those connection points to get people to want to work with you.

Your branding ensures a memorable experience

It’s all about ensuring your clients have the best experience, even before they start working with you. Showing up consistently and with a solid brand shows others that you walk the walk. It shows people that you take your work seriously. And why would anyone invest in you if you aren’t willing to invest in yourself? Your brand allows your customers to get a 360-degree view of your business in a way that shows who you really are, so they know exactly what to expect when working with you.

Want to know if your brand is working for you? Ask yourself these questions:

• How are you differentiating your business from the rest?
• What emotions is your brand evoking in your audience?
• Are you currently attracting your dream clients?

Every business should have their own unique brand, and with businesses rapidly migrating to an online presence it’s more important now than ever.

If you want to learn more about Karima and her work, visit her website and follow her on instagram for incredible content and inspiration.