TH E BU SI N E S S P O W E R O F B R A N DIN G
BUILDING BRAND Finding a clear brand identity can help your business to thrive. So how can you discover yours?
24 WORDS KAYE MCINTOSH
W
hat is a brand? It’s not just a font, a logo and your website – it’s who you are. Steph Stevenson, owner of HNB Salon Spa in Sandbanks, Dorset, says: ‘Your brand is a personality – an individual with a unique voice, so you build an emotional connection with whoever your target clients are.’ Your business is your salon and team, but your brand is your identity. For instance, Steph says, Disney’s brand isn’t films or theme parks – it’s magic. However you connect with the company, it is offering you a magical experience. Common misconceptions include thinking that, if you’ve pinned down your colours and the typeface on your website, that’s it. But Ryan Power of Salonology says: ‘It’s difficult to have
a meaningful relationship with a logo. What’s important is the owner or the manager, the face of the business. It’s your personal brand. Your client is going to look for common bonds with you.’
Why does it matter? Competition is fiercer than ever post-pandemic – everyone’s fighting to survive. Steph says a clear brand ‘increases loyalty and gives you a better differentiation, so you’re not the same as everyone else. You’re not posting the same stuff. You’re not speaking in the same voice.’ She adds: ‘I’m based in an area of high-net-worth individuals. We are a luxury brand. If I was to start offering massive discounts or speaking to the budget market I would lose clients.’ Michael Young of Hooker & Young, based in Newcastle and Teesside, says: ‘We have always been more attracted to beauty and glamour as opposed to an edgy, trendy, younger style. If we
were a magazine, we’d be Vogue, rather than a cool fashion mag.’
It’s not just you Steph says your team is key to your brand: ‘We are very careful with recruitment. We need every single person to want to deliver the very best experience for our clients.’ Make sure everyone understands the brand and their part in it.
SALONFOCUS | S UM M E R 2 0 2 2
24-26 Branding_Summer 2022_Salon Focus.indd 24
15/06/2022 10:43
