4 Business Branding Myths You Should Ignore

If you think branding a business is about fonts, colors, or a pretty logo, then I’ve got news for you: that advice is steering you in the wrong direction. In today’s post, I’m going to show you the TRUTH about branding a business. Not only will I reveal the 4 most common business branding myths on the planet, but I’ll show you everything you need to know that can help you get on the right track. 

Branding Myth #1: I Don’t Need To Use Social Media To Grow My Brand

Back in the early days of branding (and marketing), tv commercials, radio advertising, newspaper ads, and door to door was the thing to do.  

At least we all thought it worked, and to some extent it did. That’s why these approaches to marketing a business became so popular. 

However, these outdated approaches aren’t as effective as they used to be. The main reason? Social media platforms and the internet have made it easier to globally reach customers.

There are other reasons too. For example, technology has given us more ways to get in front of customers, through many devices. Whether it be laptops, cell phones, or tablets, there is no shortage of ways to reach the communities we serve, with the click of a button.

Which means that, to increase your brand’s awareness, you can’t just rely on word of mouth. 

What to do instead: 

Meet your customers where they’re at. If they’re on Instagram, hang out there. If they’re on Facebook, learn how to connect with them there. 

In fact, I have watched my Instagram followers grow by sixty four percent in the last 3 years. My engagement on the platform has skyrocketed, and I’ve been able to connect with my intended audience as a result. 

So, if you’re looking to increase your brand awareness using social media, here’s the approach I recommend trying out. 

1 – Start with just one platform. For example, if your customers hang out most on Instagram, commit to that platform until you see some results for your brand. 

2 – Follow (and engage) with at least 5 new accounts every day for a certain period of time. Be intentional and follow accounts that will either interest your ideal customer or that is your ideal customer. Then, engage by commenting on their posts. Don’t just “like” it. 

3 – Create relatable content for your ideal customers. You want to show them you can relate to them and are authentic. 

Branding Myth #2: I Don’t Have to Share My Personal Side With My Customers

Trying to build a brand without showing the real you is overwhelming and inauthentic. There are already thousands of brands out there, many of which have mastered exactly how to connect with their customers. 

And if that’s not enough, here are 3 other reasons a lack of sharing your personal side won’t work: 

Reason #1  – your customers never get to connect on a deeper level with your brand

Reason #2 – you have trouble building a community of loyal followers 

Reason #3 – Plus, you won’t be able to focus on promoting your posts the way you need to in order to make the impact your business was designed to make

What to do instead: 

Opening up a little and getting more personal will help you build a better relationship with your community. Combine this with engaging more with your ideal audience on and offline, and you’ll have the ultimate brand you’ve already envisioned yourself having. 

The best part is, your customers will begin to know, like, and trust you.

Branding Myth #3: Email is Dead

One of the most persistent myths about branding is the idea that building an email list is ineffective. 

So not true! Building an email list to grow your brand does work. As Statista points out, in 2020, the number of global email users amounted to four billion and is set to grow to 4.6 billion users in 2025. 

Building your email list is effective at growing your business and increasing your brand awareness, if you do it right. 

Email marketing yields an estimated 4300 percent ROI, according to the Direct Marketing Association. 

If that doesn’t help, Entrepreneur also points out it’s estimated that 91 percent of consumers check their email at least once a day on their smartphone.

So you should still incorporate them. But if you keep thinking email is dead, you’ll not only hurt your chance of growing your business, but you run the risk of not connecting with your ideal community.

So, not building your email list at all is out, but you still need to lay out your email plan to have regular contact with your community. Keep reading to learn how. 

What to do instead: 

1 – Start with your existing customers. Invite them to join your email list. If you’re just starting out with building your list, Aweber is a great email marketing platform to start with, that I highly recommend.

2 – Reach out to people that are already in your network of contacts that may be an ideal customer or client, and invite them to join your email list. 

3 – Add a link at the bottom of your email signature to invite people to join your email list.

Branding Myth #4: I Don’t Know Enough To Succeed

The truth? Doubting yourself won’t cut it for increasing your brand awareness and building a community of engaged supporters. 

Even though you may be focused and diligent in your efforts to grow your brand, this internal feeling of inadequacy has created unseen friction in your productivity. You have to get out of your head. 

To really get the results you want, you should be tapping into resources that you already have access to. You should also be networking with others that are already seeing the results you want to achieve in your business. Add to that, be sure you’re networking with your existing community.

Amy Porterfield even states that you need to network with your community. The idea is to create a place on your site where you turn the spotlight back on your community. 

What to do instead: 

1 – Browse the internet to find resources that will help you stay motivated when you have those thoughts of inadequacy

2 – Get out of your head and think positive thoughts only

3 – Stop comparing yourself (and business) to others, especially if it’s not helping you

4 – Stay focused on your “why”. There was a reason you started this journey so always keep that at the front of your mind and tap into it when the journey gets challenging

5 – Develop and commit to having a morning routine which I talked about in another post. Create a routine that will fuel your creativity and help you stay focused throughout each day

A simple step you can take today is to spend 10 minutes brain dumping all your thoughts to get them out of your head. Simply pull out a piece of paper, set your timer, and start writing those thoughts down. I do this exercise at least once per week. 

There you have it: Four branding myths. 

As you saw, branding is evolving, and you should, too. Today, it’s more about relating to your community. Not randomly approaching things by “hoping” your brand will grow. You have to be intentional.

I hope this post has helped you steer clear of misleading information so you can grow your brand and business to reach your ideal community. 

Now, it’s your turn. Which of these myths did you find most surprising? Share in the comments below.

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