Benefits Disadvantages Is dropshipping for you?

7. Branding
152
External branding
External branding is complex to talk about because everything you do represents 
your brand. Your logo, customer support emails, and social media avatars are all 
part of your brand. (This is why internal branding is so important – you need to 
understand who you are before you go public.)
Image source

---

7. Branding
153
The basic elements of a brand are how you look and how you sound. Your business 
logo and website (or storefront) will often be the first thing a new customer sees, so 
they need to make good first impressions. Next, the tone and style of writing you 
use will affect everything from sales to social shares. Text and media are how you’ll 
communicate with your customers, so everything you put out needs to make sense 
with your brand.
Let’s break down these parts (logo, website, writing), and discuss them each in 
depth.
Logo design
There’s a reason big businesses spend millions on logo design. 
It’s because your logo is more than just a nice design. It’s a way 
for people to instantly recognize your brand.
I bet you can think of at least 10 different logos right now. Logos have tons of 
power. Humans are visual creatures, so when you and I see a logo for a business 
we love, we’ll commit it to memory almost subconsciously.
You’ll use your logo on your storefront, your social media accounts, your business 
cards, and even your email profile picture. All of your customers are going to see it, 
so why not make it the best it can be?
Because a good logo can be a little pricey, many entrepreneurs opt to choose a 
free logo 
they can make themselves
. The problem with this? If you have no design 
skills at all, your logo will look generic and forgettable.

---

7. Branding
154
That’s why you need a logo that’s tailor-made for your brand. You don’t need 
to spend thousands of dollars, but you should be prepared to pay a fair rate for 
a custom designed logo from a qualified designer. That way you won’t be just 
another store with a boring logo. A custom logo is an easy way to stand out from 
your competition.
First, you should have an idea of the aesthetic you want for your brand. Do you 
want to have a more formal or a more casual look? What feelings do you want to 
evoke in your customers? A good designer will be able to guide you, but it’s good 
to ask these questions beforehand.
It’s helpful to find a bunch of logos you like and try to figure out what you like 
about them. What makes them unique to you? Thinking about this makes a logo 
designer’s job easier because they’ll be able to come up with ideas that reflect 
what you want in a logo.
Second, you should be prepared to pay. How much should you spend? Costs 
vary from designer to designer, but a good price range to shoot for is the $100 to 
$300 range. Logo design takes a lot of work, and designers who charge too little 
often skimp on quality. If you get a quote in the $100 to $300 range, you’ll likely be 
dealing with someone who takes his or her job seriously.