Branding is one of the hottest topics in the business world. Many articles focus on the importance of having a strong brand, but few consider exactly what a brand means to the customer. A brand is much more than a logo or the decorations of your location—although these are indeed fundamental parts of a brand. A brand, in its most basic form, is a promise.

What kinds of promises does a strong brand make? First, there is a promise of product quality. Whether you are offering services or more tangible goods, you are promising a certain type of product. If you are running an upscale boutique, people will be expecting a very different type of product than if your brand focuses on low cost. If your logo is fun and playful, you will be attracting a target audience that has little interest in the modern and sleek. Whatever qualities your brand promises, it is crucial that you deliver them.

A second and more powerful promise that your brand makes is emotion. People who view your logo and other marketing techniques expect to feel a certain way when they interact with your business. If you are promising a relaxing, soothing experience, this will translate into a different type of store and service than if you are offering a rowdy good time. This promise absolutely cannot be broken without placing your business in jeopardy. Modern customers may be willing to overlook other discrepancies, but you must deliver the emotional experience that they are seeking.

How do you make this promise? First, you make promises with your logo. Shapes and colours both invoke powerful emotions in people. Images also can be an important part of showing people what to expect from your establishment, both the image itself and the way it is oriented with the rest of your logo. Fonts can communicate information about your style and products, whether modern and sleek or old fashioned and classic. If you and your logo designer use these key aspects well, people will walk into your establishment with an expectation that is similar to what you are delivering.

Another way that you make promises is with your style of advertising. Again, much of this promise is made on a very subconscious level that is nonetheless effective. Your advertising both in method and in content should tie in to your logo and your brand. This will create a cohesive experience in which customers receive exactly what they expect. This can only bolster your image, because these customers will walk away pleased with their experience. If, on the other hand, your logo promises a very different type of business than that which you are running, the customer will leave disappointed. Unfortunately, most people are far more likely to share negative experiences than positive ones, which can destroy the business that you are working to build.

So, to answer the question we began with, your logo is your promise to the customer of exactly what you are offering. No one likes to be deceived, so be sure your logo design and all other aspects of your brand are a good fit for your business and your products.