What You Risk When You DIY Your Brand
July 14, 2023
Category: Branding
what you risk when you DIY your brand
AND/OR your website for that matter!
I’m NOT saying a DIY brand is detrimental to your business but I’m not NOT saying that. As a business just starting out, sometimes a DIY brand makes the most sense and I totally understand that! However, depending on what kind of business you’re starting or have been running, a DIY brand could be really setting you back! Let me explain.
Personal brands (think bloggers!) have a bit more leeway when it comes to using DIY branding to get started. DIY branding can be great to start growing a following and start identifying how these brands want to be represented, but again, it will only take you so far!
Now service and product-based businesses don’t quite have the luxury of getting by with DIY branding. I will add a quick caveat here — if you’re a service-based business and you’re not sure what you want to specialize in yet then it might be worth waiting until you’ve established your niche and taking a DIY approach in the meantime. Otherwise, if you have your target audience, niche offerings, and services fleshed out then it’s time to invest. As a service-based business, you’re trying to establish credibility and when you’re pulling that same old logo that every other photographer has used from Canva (no offense!) you’re going to be majorly lacking that.
With product-based businesses, you often need a set logo design to put on the products you’re producing, a branded website that helps sell your products, and branded packaging that creates a memorable experience — and honey, let’s face it, this is not the time to DIY that ish. Let’s dive in a smidge deeper. When it comes to products, branding and packaging is a HUGE part of the buying experience. If you’re investing in a large number of products with your brand on them, you want to get it right from the start so you don't end up with inventory that has branding on it that will just end up redone down the line!
Alright, alright. Now that we’ve established that DIY isn’t the WORST but isn’t the BEST depending on what kind of business you’re running. Let’s chat through the three things you’re risking (regardless of your businesses!) when you do decide to take a DIY approach to your branding and/or website design!
1 | Credibility
Your customers/clients are intuitive and they can sniff out brands that look and feel legit versus the ones that don’t. DIY branding can look cheap (because let’s face it, financially it is the cheaper route!). But if you’re selling a product or are trying to sell a potential client on spending X amount of dollars on your services you want a logo design and brand that SPEAKS to the quality and credibility of your product, service, etc. When you DIY your branding and logo design you take the risk of losing potential customers’/clients’ trust and they’re going to have a VERY difficult time investing a lot of money into something they’re not sure of and don’t have full confidence in.
2 | Memorability
That logo design or font everyone uses from Creative Market — we’ve seen it 100x. When your branding looks like everyone else’s you’re not creating anything memorable and it’s going to be so easy to skim over your business and forget it just like that. You need a FULL brand identity to create a lasting impression on potential customers and clients. And you know what’s going to be reaaaaaallll hard to DIY if you’re not a designer — a full, memorable brand identity.
A quick, 5-second segway. No matter who you are or what your business is, you need more than just a logo design to create a memorable brand. Think about getting a package from your favorite retailer — what made that ordering experience memorable!? The unboxing experience. A branded tape design, custom tissue paper, a branded thank you note or fun little card you can hang on to. BRANDING CREATES MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES and memorable experiences are going to lead customers back to you time and time again.
3 | confusion
You have like .2 seconds to capture your target audience’s attention and strategically lead them through who you are and how you can help them. If your branding or website especially confuses them or makes it unclear how they can purchase from you, they’re out. ✌🏽
Soooo let’s face it. Cutting corners because you’re trying to save money can actually COST you money as you start losing out on leads and sales without a proper design strategy. Plussssss, you won’t feel as confident promoting your branding and site if it’s not speaking to the quality of products or services you provide!
Maybe you’re ready for a brand identity but you’re not quite prepared to spend $8k on a custom design. Enter: branding kits.
