How Better Branding Builds Trust
Think about the last time you looked up a business you had never heard of before. Maybe you found them through Google, saw one of their social media posts, or someone recommended them to you. Before you ever contacted them, you probably already had an idea of whether or not you trusted them.
I know I do.
If I land on a website that looks messy, outdated, or just a little sketchy, I’m probably clicking the X. Especially today, when we’re constantly trying to figure out what is legitimate online and what isn’t, the way a business presents itself matters.
That’s where good branding can make a big difference.
Your Branding Gives Your Business a Personality
When I look at a business, I like being able to get a feel for who they are. Are they fun? Serious? Bold? Soft? Professional? Laid-back?
A lot of that personality comes through in seemingly simple choices like fonts and colors. As a designer, fonts are one of the first things I notice. A font can completely change the personality of a business. The same goes for colors, photography, graphics, and the overall style.
Sometimes a business chooses a font or color simply because they like it, but it doesn’t necessarily fit the personality of the company. When all of those pieces work together, you start to get a much clearer picture of what that business is all about.
Consistency Helps People Recognize You
Good branding also needs to be consistent.
Your website shouldn’t feel like one business while your social media feels like another. The same goes for your emails, brochures, advertisements, and other marketing materials.
For example, when I’m designing social media graphics, I use the same colors, fonts, and general style that are used throughout that company’s website and other marketing materials. Someone who is familiar with that company should be able to see one of those posts and recognize that it belongs to them.
That consistency helps connect all of the different places someone might interact with your business.
Looking Put Together Builds Trust
If I had to choose between two businesses offering the same service, and one had a clean, consistent brand while the other had an outdated website and completely different styles across its marketing, I’m probably choosing the first one.
Why?
It looks like they care.
If a company puts effort into how its business is presented, it gives me more confidence that they’ll put that same effort into their products or services. It makes the business feel established, organized, and like they know what they’re doing.
Of course, good branding doesn’t automatically mean a company is better than its competitors. A recommendation from a friend or family member might be enough for me to overlook a less-than-great website. But when I’m discovering a business on my own, its branding is one of the first things I have to decide whether I feel comfortable contacting them.
Better Branding Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
A small business doesn’t need an expensive, complicated brand to look professional.
If you’re just starting out, having a logo, a consistent font choice, a color palette, and a website gives you a great foundation. Your website doesn’t have to be huge either. I’ve designed quite a few single-page websites that get the job done. As long as customers can quickly understand who you are, what you do, and how to contact you, you’re off to a good start.
The same thing applies to social media. Your posts don’t need to be crazy or overly designed. Keep them clean, current, relatable, and representative of your business.
Consistency is much more important than making everything elaborate.
Your Branding Should Grow With Your Business
Sometimes a business already has the beginnings of a strong brand. It just needs some help bringing everything together.
When we started working with a new client, black and orange were already a big part of their branding. Their logo also had a strong personality. It made them look like a tough and bold company.
The problem was that the rest of their branding didn’t quite carry that same personality.
Rather than completely changing what they already had, I kept the black and orange and built around it. I incorporated stronger typography and carried that personality into the new website. The goal wasn’t to turn them into a different company. It was to make the rest of their brand feel more like the company they already were.
Their previous website was also dated enough that someone finding it for the first time could question whether the business was even still active.
That’s another reason keeping your branding and website current matters. As much as we like to think something is timeless, everything has an expiration date.
Good Branding Gives People a Reason to Trust You
Good branding isn’t just about having a nice logo or making things look pretty. It’s about creating an experience that feels consistent, intentional, and trustworthy.
When someone discovers your business for the first time, you don’t want them questioning whether you’re legitimate. You want them to understand who you are, feel confident that you know what you’re doing, and be comfortable taking the next step.
You don’t have to change everything to get there. Sometimes a few thoughtful changes are enough to make your business feel much more put together.
If your branding has become inconsistent, outdated, or just doesn’t feel like your business anymore, Foresite can help you bring those pieces together and create a brand that better represents who you are.