There’s a new trend in branding strategy: Beauty. Maybe you’ve noticed the renaissance of beauty in the past several months. Websites, writing and video marketing have all become significantly more gorgeous.
Beauty is being noticed, appreciated and valued in a big way. People share beautiful things on Facebook and Pinterest, and statistics show that things that look and sound good are more likely to gain a following.
If you want to get attention, a beauty-based branding strategy is the way to go. Beautiful things make people sit up and take notice. It’s among the best tools you have to make a fabulous first impression. Good looking materials increase engagement, which means that people will stick around longer, learn more from you, and be more likely to buy from you.
Not only that, a beauty-based branding strategy makes your clients happier, and makes them feel good when they think about you.
In many cases, beauty is even expected. Your clients are getting more and more used to seeing increasingly gorgeous marketing, gifts and goodies come out of all sorts of small businesses. They’ve gained a taste for fine design, and they’re becoming less accepting of the “I’m a small business” excuse for having your brand and marketing not look good.
Beauty is essential when your ideal clients are women. We love beauty and feel pampered by beautiful things and well-crafted experiences. Patterns, textures, jewel tones and lots of pictures appeal to women. Poetic text and rhythmic writing will draw women in as well.
If your audience is mostly men, a beauty-based branding strategy looks a bit different. For men, use clean design and well-chosen images. Alignment of the elements in your design is essential. And, when it comes to writing, make it direct and snappy.
Regardless of who your clients are, your videos and images should be high-quality – not fuzzy or grainy. Good lighting goes a long way towards creating a beautiful look. (I have a pair of professional, white-balanced studio lights that I use in all my videos, for example).
Sound quality matters too. Investing in a good microphone and using it in your videos and audio recordings can create a clearer message. Adding background music to your videos also makes them sound more pleasant, and adds atmosphere.
Type fonts contribute to beauty. Choose your fonts wisely and well. Pay attention to the spacing between lines and letters. Take advantage of customizable fonts online with tools like Google Web Fonts.
The final frontier in your beautiful branding strategy is in the experience – how are you interacting with people? Are the free gifts you’re giving them beautiful, or are they just informative? Do your communications with your clients while you’re serving them go beyond practical to beautiful? How can you make them feel like they’re special?
The beauty bar has been raised. How does your brand measure up?
We’re chatting about beauty and your biz over on our Facebook page. Visit http://www.facebook.com/brandstyledesign to join the conversation.
About Erin Ferree
This is great information. I am currently searching for a brand consulting firm to help improve my company’s image. I never thought about beauty and the way customers perceive things. When I find a consultant I will have to ask about creating an image that is eye catching and meets the criteria you have laid out.