Have you seen Yellowstone lately? If you have, you probably noticed that everyone who is part of the Yellowstone “gang” has a brand burnt into their chest. The art of branding isn’t a new thing by any means, but it still remains to be an important characteristic of any recognizable entity. While you probably aren’t running around burning your logo into your employees (we hope not anyway) the series got one thing right: giving your business a distinctive design has its benefits. Here are some ways that branding can help your business.

1. It gives your business an identity
   
   Think of some of today’s most iconic companies–Apple is a perfect example. Have you ever seen one of their department stores in a mall? If so, you may have noticed the only thing signaling to customers that it’s an Apple store is their fruity logo on the front. Because of Apple’s solid branding, customers won’t need to see the word “Apple” to know what their logo means. McDonalds is another great example–when you see red and yellow together what does it remind you of? Probably the fast-food chain!
   
   While it may seem insignificant, from color schemes to logos, the power of good branding is to put an image and identity to the company name that people will easily recognize–even when it’s totally out of context.
2. It helps to build trust
   
   You can think of branding as the company’s equivalent of wearing a suit–it shows that you’re ready for business. Adopting a solid branding strategy proves to customers that you care about your business’ image and future and you will do whatever it takes to keep it looking (and running) well. No one wants to do business with a company that doesn’t care about its image.
3. It benefits your advertising strategy
   
   Effective advertising campaigns benefit from consistent branding because over time consumers will subconsciously begin to recognize the brand across all the different advertising platforms–which in turn also helps to build familiarity and trust. One study shared by Small Biz Genius showed that “presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%.”
4. Employees & customers like itLet’s use Apple as an example again–how often do you see people (not just employees) brandishing the Apple logo on shirts, hats, and stickers? The brand has become sort of a fashion statement at this point, and that’s made possible only by branding. It’s easier for people to personally identify and stand behind the company’s mission when it’s branded.

From aesthetics to just having fun trying your hand at graphic design, there are plenty of other reasons why you may choose to brand your business, but at least now you know some of the key reasons why it’s so important.