Think of your business as a wallflower at a crazy party. While everyone else is charming and lighting up the room, you’re standing by the snack table, hoping someone will notice you. When you don’t have a strong brand identity, you just blend in with the custom promotional pens. People remember people, not faces that look the same.

People want stories and symbols. Think about how much force is in a small swoosh or a bitten apple. It’s not luck that makes those brands stand out; it’s the smart choices they make that make them stand out. Have you ever thought about why people go out of their way to buy coffee with a green mermaid on it or stand in line for sneakers with a tick on them? The answer is in how well-known their brand is and how it makes you feel.

People won’t trust your business if it seems like a copy. People can tell when something is a copycat faster than you realize. Some people will ask, “Why should I choose this brand over another?” If you can’t come up with something interesting to say, people will forget you faster than they did yesterday’s meme.

It’s not just a cool logo. Every touchpoint, like colors, language, and textures, changes how people see things. Putting your name in Comic Sans on a webpage that says “last updated in 2004” won’t work. Being consistent is important, but adding individuality is what really gets things going. Brand is a handshake and a wink together. It’s about making connections and having an effect.

A strong brand identity helps your business’s voice stand out from the crowd. Would you rather be one of many persons selling lemonade with hand-written cardboard signs, or the one with strange, bold pictures that people post about online? The difference is magnetic.

Come on, let’s be real. It’s not a waste of money to improve the “look and feel” of your firm. Customers like dependability, but they like character and spirit much more. A brand that doesn’t have an edge seems needy. Don’t offer consumers a cause to keep scrolling. Tell them a story. Make them chuckle. Make them feel something. Don’t just be there. Say who you are. Leave your mark or risk being forgotten. Wouldn’t you rather be in the spotlight than hide?