The road hazards of free & low-cost design

So you got your best friend’s grandson - who is in college studying to be a designer - to create your business logo because it was free.

You think, “Wow, this is a win-win! I need a new or revamped logo for my business AND I’m helping this young man out. Plus my best friend is so happy that I’m giving her grandson practice for the real world.”

Or you went to Fiverr and hired someone to do a quick and cheap logo for $5. That’s a great deal, right?

Wrong! In actuality, you’re cutting your nose off to spite your face.

The first reason this is a big no-no is because most people have a tendency to not value what they don’t pay for.

By the end of this process, you’ve got a mediocre logo at best and you don’t value it because you had to compromise. You’re already getting it for free, so in most situations like this, you could feel guilty about asking for what you really want because you aren’t paying for it. And let’s face it, you never really put a lot of thought into the logo and what it actually means to your business.

The second reason this is a bad idea is because getting a logo design is not going to change your business. You have to actually invest. Not by just investing in the logo design by a professional (and paying for it), but by investing in your full business brand.

Now I have nothing against getting something for free. Who does? But I want to highlight the difference between getting a logo designed and paying for an expert to brand your entire business.

A brand is more than the logo

The sad reality is that many small business owners think that their brand begins and ends with a logo. That once they have it, they can put it in their emails, add to their website and abracadabra, they’re in business!

This misconception is reinforced by freelance or fly-by-night designers who advertise branding when all they actually do is design a logo and maybe throw in a matching business card. That might have worked before websites and online marketing, but nowadays that won’t get you very far.

I love designing logos and provide that service to my clients, so I’m not dismissing hiring a pro and getting one done. Nor am I denying the role a logo can play in the identity of a business.

I hate to burst your bubble, but your brand is more than just a logo.

A brand is your strategy, messaging, and visual identity. It’s also how you communicate and develop a relationship with your customers. It’s how you demonstrate that you can be trusted, that you are offering a valuable service or product, and that you follow through on your promise to deliver expert services, quality products, and exceptional customer care.

Why you should invest in your brand

Your brand is a combination of visual, verbal and emotional elements that define your company and help you stand out from your competition. In this crazy, free-for-all online market, you will not rise above the noise without a clear and consistent brand.

If you are just throwing a free or cheap logo up on a website or business card and not taking a good hard look at your messaging, your stance, your competition, your target market, your niche, and your services, you’ll just blend in with the rest of the fly-by-night businesses out there on the world wide web.

A designer is not necessarily a brand expert

Okay, so hopefully by now you get it. Don’t take your best friend Betty up on the offer to get a free logo designed by her grandson Sammy. But if you can’t go to Fiverr, what do you do?

There are a couple options:

1. Hire a brand expert. This will be someone that not only designs stellar logos, but assists you with your brand foundation first and then creates your full visual brand to include your logo, print and digital materials, and website.

2. Hire a professional designer with a fabulous portfolio to design your visual brand after you go through your own branding process.

Don’t have the budget for option #1?

Alright, not a problem. Building a strong brand is a process but you can do it yourself. And to be honest, you are the only one that can answer a lot of the questions that go into figuring out your brand message and what makes your business unique.

The brand process:

1. It starts with core values. What do you hold dear? Why are you offering these products or services? What do you stand for? What do you stand against?

2. Take a look at your competition. What do you dislike in your field? What makes you different and why? What makes you the same? Why would someone choose you over them?

3. Identify your target audience. Who do you like working for? Who are you trying to help?

4. Want to stand out even further? Find your niche. How can you narrow your focus to do the one thing you love and are good at doing better than anyone else? How can you offer value in that specialized service?

5. Come up with your services, pricing and figure out how to turn that into a process you can package. What do you do best? What do you like doing? What do you get paid most to do? What’s your best seller?

6. Create credible, consistent, concise, and compelling messaging that supports your core values and what helps you stand out instead of blending in with the competition.

After you have completed steps 1-6, you now have the foundation to create the look and feel of your brand and you can go with Option #2 and find that awesome designer that will bring your vision to life!

Bottom line

Plain and simple…your logo is not your brand. There’s so much that goes into a brand and it takes time to develop it. Don’t be cheap. Invest in your business! If you don’t, why would someone else?

VAROOM! Brand Design offers something for both options. Find the right REV UP package to fit your needs here.

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