Branding goes far beyond colors, fonts, a cute logo and a pretty website. As a business owner, it can often be difficult to realize what items you truly need… until you find yourself needing it and realizing you don’t have it.
For example, let’s say you attend a networking event and you want to pass out business cards… only to remember that you never created any. 🙃
Or maybe you want to start sending client thank you cards at the end of each project and you realize how nice it would be if your cards were personalized for your brand.
So, if you’re still in the DIY stage of your business and you want to level up your branding, make sure you consider what I consider to be the 6 most overlooked, yet must-have collateral pieces for branding in your business.
Personalized Stationery
Like mentioned above, it’s nice to have your own personal notecards and envelopes on hand so you can send client welcome notes, thank you letters, etc.
When you opt for personalized stationary, it allows your brand to connect on a deeper level with your customers and keeps you top of mind. A hand written note goes SUCH a long way.
This is always an option for my branding clients and they can choose if they want a notecard/envelope or a letterhead/envelope design (or both!) to go along with their other branding assets.
Another great item to have on hand are envelope sealing stickers that have your logo printed on them. This will bring your stationary set altogether and really seal the deal… literally!
Email Signature
YES, your email signature is considered branding collateral! It may not be one of the first things you think about, but you’re missing an opportunity to create brand recognition without a branded email signature.
When you’re sending emails, it probably seems natural to have your name and maybe a couple of clickable text links at the bottom.
While you of course want to continue doing that, having an email signature that matches your brand will help people identifying who you are very quickly as you communicate with them.
For this, make sure to include:
- your logo
- an updated and recent photo of you
- clickable social media icons
- a link to your website
- any other info that is important for people to know (such as your office hours, upcoming out of office dates, etc.)
If you don’t already have a clickable email signature and you want to DIY one,
here’s a quick video tutorial showing you how!
Social Media Templates
Oftentimes I see people using Canva templates to create their social media assets. While I’m a huge Canva advocate (which is honestly rare for a designer to say!), using random templates is one of the biggest things I tell DIYers to avoid - I go more into that in this blog post!
Once you’ve developed brand visuals, which means you have your colors, fonts and other design elements, it’s important to create your own social media templates so all of your platforms remain consistent and cohesive when you post.
It’s not just about an aesthetic look (even though I’m alllll for that 🤣) - it’s really about making it easy for people to recognize and remember you!
Brand Photos
Most business owners know that they need high quality imagery for their website and their social media platforms. What they often miss are photos reflecting their brand.
Oftentimes, people jump straight to a photoshoot before defining their brand’s heart, messaging and visual aesthetic, which results in images that don’t really connect with the brand’s strategy and visual vibe.
For example, if your brand colors are bright blues, pinks and greens (like mine!) and you take photos wearing black and have no color in your photos, you aren’t letting your brand shine.
Check out these beautiful photographs taken by the amazingly talented, creative storyteller Austin Goode.
Aside from colors, location plays a huge part in your photos as well!
Let’s say you’re a nutritionist, but you take your photos on top of a parking garage… that feels sort of random and doesn’t really connect to what you do. What would connect is taking your photos in an actual kitchen and using fun fruit as props instead!
So remember: define your brand colors and the overall aesthetic of your brand first and THEN book your photoshoot!
Video
You’re probably used to creating different styles of video for social media since that form of content has taken over all of the popular platforms, but have you thought about how you can strategically use video for your customer experience on your website?
Just like you use branded images throughout your website, it’s smart to incorporate branded video when you can!
Using video allows people to get to know you aside from just words on a screen. They see your face, hear your voice and even grow to understand your personality -
all things that build true connection and build relationships.
This is especially true for when people see videos after purchasing from you. They receive an immediate sense of belonging and it shows them that, just like them, you're a human behind the computer screen that genuinely cares and wants to help!
For more formal videos, you can take the editing a step further and include your logo on the screen or you can keep things simple and record in spaces that reflect your brand while sporting your brand colors in order to keep that cohesiveness!
Here are a few of my favorite ways you can use video throughout your website or in your backend systems to level up the client experience:
- Thank you pages - after someone purchases your product or books a service, instead of only using text on the thank you/confirmation page, you can include a video that discusses their next steps so they know exactly what to expect.
- Tutorial videos - if you deliver projects to your clients that require further explanation, sometimes a video can be much better than long paragraphs in an email. One of the easiest ways to incorporate tutorial videos is by using Loom! Loom is a free video tool that allows you to record your screen and show your face so you can easily communicate with your team, clients or followers.
- Your story
- if you want to use video on your website, but you’re unsure what it would look like, a great place to start is the “about” page. Along with the copy of your story / about you section, you can include a video that really brings your story and mission to life for people to hear. This has the potential to convey your message more clearly and connect with people more quickly.
Google Business Profile
Your FREE profile lets you connect with customers across Google search even if you don't have a brick and mortar shop or a website (in which case, GIVE ME A HOLLER).
Your Google Business profile can include things like:
- your service area
- hours of operation
- offerings
- customer reviews
- branded photos/videos (ahem...see above)
- special offers
Refresh your profile often with new photos to help tell your brand story.
Other Important Collateral Pieces for your Brand
Remember, these are just 6 of the most overlooked collateral pieces.
There are MANY collateral pieces you can create for your brand, including:
- Website and landing pages
- Business cards
- Posters
- Various signage
- Brochures and handouts
- Swag, such as pens, t-shirts, stickers, water bottles, etc.
- E-books
- Infographics
- Pitch deck
- Proposal sheets
- Welcome packets
- One pagers
When you work with a professional branding designer, you will be guided on what collateral pieces make the most sense for YOUR business.
Because remember: business is personal. What works for your biz bestie might not work for you, so don’t feel pressured to do what others are doing if it doesn’t align with who you are and what you do.
If you’re not quite to the point where you can invest in professional branding services, that’s okay too! You can absolutely DIY your brand as a beginner, so choose one thing at a time and start there.
If you’re lost on where to start at all, I encourage you to use this
FREE mini style guide template
to guide you through choosing the most important parts of your brand.
Here’s to creating a brand that’s unique to you, friend!
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