Following is a guest contribution by Lisa Guillot of  Chicago brand design studio Step Brightly.

I love pizza, I eat it one or two times a week. A few years ago I went to New York and challenged myself to visit as many places from goop’s New York City Guide app as I could.  One of the places was called Co. in Chelsea, where they serve artisanal pizzas.  I had the Popeye pizza for $17. It was a dream.

I  bought Jim Lahey’s book My Pizza and have attempted to recreate this tasty experience at home. I have also given the book as a gift. I love this pizza. It was a personal size, for $17. I could have bought 2 medium pizzas for $17 from Dominos, but the experience, the ingredients, the atmosphere, the memories would not be the same. And I certainly don’t got around town raving about Dominos or giving away their coupons.

Point:

I will pay for value, and you should too. You can’t have a successful business without creating more value for your customers than the average Joe.

So, the next question is:

How do I create value+? And how do I show this value to my customers and clients?

Answer:

Solid, consistent branding – here are a few tips to you get started:

1. Shop the competition, see what they are doing.
2. Position yourself just outside the box. You are not a 100% unique business, there are others that provide the same services you do. Do it differently.
3. Find and pay for a well designed brand and website. This is what people will remember you for, a valuable experience that they will gladly recommend to their friends.

Think you can do that cheaply? Maybe. Is your business cheap? Are your products cheap? Do you want your clients to think you are cheap? I am guessing no. So why low ball design?

I can’t tell you how many times I have received the email, “I need a website by _____(insert date…like next week) and I have $________(insert really low ball number). Can you do that?”  I am polite, I answer back and say, “Your business idea sounds really interesting. I bet you have put a lot of work into it, if you want to put together a quick half-ass website that will generate zero leads because it is not organized, designed or branded properly, go right ahead. Call me in a year when you need to redesign.” (OK, maybe I am not that blunt, but you get the idea).

KISSmetrics tells us that 42% of online shoppers base their opinion of a website on over all design. 52% of online shoppers did not return to a site because of overall aesthetics. A great business idea will only get you so far.

Before you go to market, consider that number: 42% of your clients are going to judge you based on your design. Not your amazing product or service. I know, it’s both crazy and awesome, right!?! Your brand design and website play an extraordinary role in the success of your business. Pay attention to it, budget for it, and partner an awesome brand design studio to make it happen.

 

Lisa Guillot is the owner and creative director of Step Brightly Creative located just outside of Chicago in the village of Oak Park. Step Brightly is a boutique design studio specializing in brand design strategy. With clients from coast to coast, they do fabulous work for fabulous people. You can find Lisa on Twitter, Pinterest and her blog Bright Now.