Why Brand Consistency (or Lack Thereof) Can Make or Break the Success of Your Business

When you’ve been helping business owners to build their brands for as long as I have, you learn a thing or two about brand consistency, and why it’s so important.

But what is a brand anyway?

The term gets thrown around a lot, but in my experience, a lot of people (business owners included) would be unable to define it.

Many people think it’s just a logo or a website, but the truth is, it’s much more than that. A brand is not only what people see when your business is presented to them, but also what they feel.

At the end of the day, your audience’s perception of you and your business is what defines your brand, and it’s that feeling or perception that can make or break your business.

But if you’re constantly switching things up on your audience, and you’re not maintaining consistency in your branding, things can quickly go awry, creating devastating consequences for you and your business.

I’ve seen countless examples of this over the years from both clients, and legendary brands that have had to face the consequences of breaking their brand consistency.

So, if you want to know how to develop a successful brand, and you’re wondering how brand consistency works, then you should definitely keep reading.

Because in this article, I’m going to explain what brand consistency is, offer some tips to help you maintain that consistency, and highlight some of the worst examples of what can happen when brands lack consistency.

What is Brand Consistency?

As I said above, the term brand refers to the way your audience feels about your business, and the way they perceive it.

That being said, brand consistency refers to maintaining a consistent look, feel, and narrative throughout all of your branding, and avoiding any break in that continuity.

At the same time, it also refers to your branding being consistent with what defines your business.

This allows you to have much greater control over the way your business is perceived, and the way potential customers feel about your brand, and this is vitally important to the success of your business.

Consistent branding can offer many additional benefits, including:

Creating trust and the perception that your business is reliable Making your business more memorable Establishing an emotional connection with potential customers Building credibility and establishing you as an authority in your field Providing a solid base to help grow your business with loyal followers Saving you time and money by helping you to get established more quickly Attracting ideal customers who are looking for exactly what you have to offer I’m sure some of you would disagree, and maybe you’ve thought, “If I don’t change things up and get creative, then I won’t get noticed, people won’t see my content, and I’m going to lose my competitive edge.”

But this mode of thinking is completely counterintuitive.

You see, part of what gives brands their competitive edge, and their ability to be memorable and instantly recognizable is in the way they differentiate themselves.

But if your branding is constantly changing, how can you expect to distinguish yourself and ensure consumers will recognize your branding when they see it?

And if you’re using inauthentic, disingenuous, or haphazard branding, how can you expect people to trust you or take you seriously? Short answer: you can’t.

If you don’t maintain consistency in your branding, you’ll confuse potential customers, they won’t recognize you, and before you know it, you’ll be all but forgotten.

Even many legendary, well-established brands have paid the price for using inconsistent branding.

But I’ll get into that a bit more in a minute.

READ: 3 Ways to Make a Website for Your Target Market

How to Define Brand Identity and Maintain Consistency in All Your Marketing Materials

If you want to maintain consistency in your branding, the first thing you’ve got to do is figure out what your brand is all about.

So, if you’re unsure about how to define your brand, and you want to learn more about how to maintain consistency in your branding, then this article is right up your alley.

It explores how you can define your brand identity, and how to maintain consistent branding on your website, social media, and in your images and videos, among many other things.

Keep reading on our website.

How Can I Maintain Brand Consistency? If you want to maintain brand consistency, you’ve got to ensure your business retains a uniform look across all its branding and marketing materials.

Simultaneously, your branding needs to be genuine, and it needs to align with your business model.

This includes not only how you present yourself in public or on social media (as in what you say, how you behave, or the way you look), but also how your brand is presented from a visual perspective.

This aspect is key because it’s the visual brand of your business that will really work to differentiate you from your competition and make you more recognizable.

That being said, let’s explore some aspects of your branding and how you can keep things consistent in those areas.

Brand Voice Your brand voice is defined by the personality, values, vernacular, and all other aspects of the way your business communicates its message to the world.

So, whether you’re sending out a newsletter, drafting website copy, designing display ads, or something else entirely, make sure to keep that voice consistent by speaking in the same authentic tone and communicating the same message across all your marketing channels.

Visual Brand Your visual brand is defined by the overall flow, style, and feel of things like your logo, brand colours, and typography, along with the shapes and images you use to market your business.

This is an area where you can easily confuse potential customers, who’ve hopefully come to recognize and respect your visual branding.

For instance, if your logo is red and blue, and you decide to suddenly change it to be green and purple, it’s going to dilute what distinguishes you from the competition, which makes you less recognizable, and you might end up alienating your customers, so don’t do it.

Formatting This might seem like a pretty minor thing, but trust me, it’s not.

For example, let’s say you just started a new series of articles on your blog, which are all neatly formatted and contain enticing imagery to break up the text.

Then, one day you’re in a rush to publish something, so you omit the images and slap it together as fast as you can.

Not only would this make you look amateurish, but again, it dilutes what differentiates you, and it’ll probably make people less likely to want to read your articles.

So, if you have a format for your marketing materials, make sure it accurately reflects what you do, and make sure you stick to it.

Colours The colours you use for your branding are crucial for defining the identity of your brand and ensuring it remains memorable and has a distinct look.

Every last aspect of your branding and marketing should follow this colour palette.

That means the colour scheme used for your logo should fit in with the colours you use for everything from the design of your website to your business cards, and perhaps even the clothes you wear.

I know it might sound silly, but you really can go that deep when ensuring consistency in your branding.

Fonts Similar to colours, fonts do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to defining your brand identity, and if you choose the wrong ones, it can be disastrous.

This aspect of your brand offers yet another reminder that not only should your branding remain consistent in terms of its continuity, but the elements you choose to use for your branding should also be consistent with what defines your business.

For example, if you own a company that installs furnaces, you should probably avoid using a font that looks like letters carved out of ice, like this one:

So, when it comes to fonts, you’ve got to make sure they accurately depict your brand, and you should pick no more than two or three fonts to use for all your branding, and avoid changing them at all costs.

Epic Fails of Inconsistent Branding After reading through this section, I know some of you might try to correct me and say these are just rebrands gone wrong, rather than examples of inconsistent branding.

And while that may be true from one perspective, at its core, a rebrand does represent a break in continuity, and a diminution of brand consistency.

At any rate, these bloopers offer some of the most informative examples of what can go wrong when businesses lack consistency in their branding.

Coca-Cola The NEW Coke brandingBack in 1975, as part of the cola wars between iconic soft drink brands, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, Pepsi launched the Pepsi Challenge.

This marketing campaign involved Pepsi staging blind taste tests in public locations, like shopping malls, encouraging consumers to taste both Coke and Pepsi in unlabelled paper cups, and asking them which was their favourite before revealing what was in each cup.

At least according to Pepsi, the campaign found that most Americans preferred Pepsi over Coke.

Then, about ten years after the Pepsi Challenge’s inception, Coca-Cola made one of the biggest blunders in the history of branding.

The company actually changed the formula of Coca-Cola, making it taste slightly different, and released it under the name New Coke.

The reaction from American consumers was decidedly negative, and within a few months, Coca-Cola reintroduced its original formula, rebranded as Coca-Cola Classic.

Obviously, this wasn’t the death knell for Coca-Cola, as the legendary brand is still very much alive and well today, but it does offer a poignant example of how tampering with the consistency of your brand can alienate customers and end up being a complete embarrassment.

BP Formerly known as British Petroleum, BP is a U.K.-based corporation, known for being one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world.

Back in 2010, the company became a household name for all the wrong reasons, as they were responsible for one of the worst industrial disasters in modern history, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, and subsequent oil spill, which resulted in several deaths and injuries, along with the spilling of about 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Having been founded in 1909, the company has gone through about half a dozen versions of its logo, with most of them resembling a green and yellow shield.

But in 2000, they changed the logo they’d been using for decades to a green, yellow, and white sun, which looks suspiciously like a flower, and oozes environmentalism.

Now, even though the logo change occurred before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, simply by virtue of the fact that it’s an oil company, BP’s new logo was mercilessly ridiculed, and for good reason.

I mean, when your main source of revenue comes from processing and distributing fuels, lubricants, and other petrochemicals, and you’re best known for things like explosions, oil spills, and chemical leaks, it’s pretty disingenuous to brand your business as an organization that cares about the environment.

BP’s website even claims that the company wants to reduce carbon emissions and “help the world reach net zero”, which is laughable considering crude oil is made primarily of hydrocarbons.

It may not be responsible for a loss of profits, but because this branding is so misaligned with BP’s business model, it’s embarrassing, it shows a severe lack of self-awareness, and it erodes BP’s credibility.

In any case, this is one of the worst examples I’ve seen of branding that’s simply inconsistent with what a business is all about, and it offers a much-needed reminder that not only should branding have continuity, but it also needs to be genuine, and accurately reflect what your business actually does.

Are you still wondering how to develop a successful brand? Think you could use the help of an online brand specialist? We’ve been helping business owners to build their brands for more than 20 years. Contact us to learn how we can help you build your brand.

To your business success, Susan Friesen

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12 Hard-To-Follow Moving Tips Enlisted!

Whenever there is a move, we all refer to the timeless moving advice and tips that we have heard from our family members, friends, or colleagues but never bother to comprehend the tricky moving guidelines that play an equally essential role during a move. Let’s talk about your current moving scenario. Since you have a move planned from Guwahati to Shillong with the packers and movers in Guwahati, we would say you should leave the packing responsibilities to them and simply, focus on things you can work upon – like knowing some hard yet practical moving tips that will help you to manage your move without any headache.

Now you must be wondering, what’s the point of hiring moving professionals if you are only going to perform the unfathomable packing, moving, and lifting tasks? But think of it like this. Don’t you think it will be great for you to know the ideal handling ways of your properties so you can take care of some of those jobs on your own? Well, definitely! And the best part is this will also allow you to save good money on your move! So, think about it and take note of some immensely essential tips we are putting out for you!

1. Keep a detailed moving inventory

Now inventorying may not sound like a challenging endeavor but considering the number of goods we tend to have in our households, cataloging often becomes a task. Going room by room, checking every storage space is a time-consuming thing to do before the move, so keep this in mind.

2. Book cleaning /pest control experts

We often are not able to track the exact time of delivery of our consignment because there is always something or the other happening en route that delays the delivery. What you can do is you can cancel the booking with them for that particular day and manage without this clean-up to call them the next day.

3. Plan/sort out storage requirements

Storage needs must be taken care of rightly. If there are too many goods to be moved to the storage, reserving a storage unit for the purpose early in the plan is recommended. Clarify the rates so you know how much you will pay the authorities at the end.

4. Go the precise way to pack jewels

Packing jewelry is another struggle because not only they are delicate but they are extremely valuable and even a bit of harm will make it worthless. So, make sure you prepare your jewelry pieces and ornaments carefully and use the right boxes and containers for the purpose.

5. Use right size boxes to pack figurines

When it comes to the breakables at your place, you should ensure every delicate piece of article, whether it is an artwork, a porcelain item, a décor item, or even a fragile article from your kitchen, is packed in the right boxes so they remain intact throughout.

6. Give extra care to pack electronics

To start with, you should first click the pictures of the electronics you have before you undo the cords, cables, screws, and other miniature add-ons from them. Then get separate plastic bags/pouches to keep them safe. The main item should then be packed in sturdy, insulated boxes.

7. Prepare suitcases with your clothes

Packing suitcases for travel and packing them for the move are entirely different things. When you are packing clothes in them, you must follow the appropriate formula, the correct rule that will keep them intact and fine and will also save space. This again is a time-consuming task.

8. Inventory and pack tricky belongings

Inventorying is a key facet of any move and when you are specifically handling the tricky belongings like chandeliers, paintings, decorations, etc. you must design a separate inventory that will keep track of their count and also note down the needful measures you will follow to pack them well. Regardless of whoever does their packing, you or the movers, you must be aware of some pro packing tips that will simplify the job!

9. Managing kids’ section and goods

Don’t you think managing kids’ rooms, their possessions is an overwhelming job? There are toys, games, art supplies, and what not and every item calls for a distinct handling process. Therefore, you must plan and think of a strategy that will allow you to handle the space well. Also, make sure you manage their room when they are away from the spot and would not hamper your job.

10. Use up the let out groceries at home

Nobody likes wasting food but it is out of compulsion that one does it. Right? So, when it comes to preparing for the move, paying attention to the food supplies and groceries in the kitchen is pretty important. Just use them up before they move to avoid wastage. If they don’t get utilized entirely, try donating them.

11. Prepare and plan for post-move meals

Have you thought about how would you have your meals the next few days after the move? Have you made any arrangements for the same? If not, then at least think through what you are going to do for the matter, (cook or order) so you remain prepared and everyone can have their meals on time.

12. Reserve moving vehicle that has a ramp

Just like a bit of planning is a must before the move, figuring out if the moving vehicle you reserved for your move is apt or not, is also important! If everything got discussed and decided over a phone call and you did not get a chance to evaluate the moving resources, then make sure you do that as soon as possible. The moving vehicle/loading truck you will rent should have a ramp as it will facilitate the goods loading process.

For some of you, these tips may not be that difficult either but these are some of those moving advice that is often a hassle for people doing it. So, do rely on your hired professionals – the movers and packers in Guwahati and take a while to consider the guidelines listed above.

by Ram Sewak

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Compress Mattress for Moving - One Stop Production Solution

Compress Mattress for Moving

Buying a new mattress is an important step because it heavily affects your good night’s sleep. Many mattress production companies and people that need to shiping from one place to other place. From one place to place are unable to transport their mattresses without compressing it first. This is where machines like mattress packing machine, mattress roll packing machine, mattress vacuum machine and automatic mattress packing machine come into play.

How to compress mattress for moving? You need a reliable mattress packing machine manufacturer so that your mattress is safely compress.

It is also an appropriate moment to discuss it, as labor prices continue to rise, skill personnel is departing, and shipping costs continue to rise. And, of course, the fact that the mattress business has completely embraced package design with bed in a box and bag packaging (which is not going away). Industries affecting bedding from a variety of perspectives are pushing for change.

It is ironic, however, how few of these trends have anything to do with the function of a mattress. Whether the mattress is sent as a full-length bed or fold up in a box, it is still something to sleep on for the client. Whether the manufacturer pays $13 or $23 for the line operator has no bearing on how the customer slept last night.

They are, nevertheless, significant considerations for manufacturers and related sectors. The current trends impact how beds are purchased, manufactured, and delivered. This has an effect on the customer's night's sleep naturally, even if it is not apparent on their freshly roll out mattress.

JK-CR4 Automatic Mattress Folding and Roll Packing Machine

Of couse This is a completely automatic compression fold and roll packaging machine manufacturing line. Exactly as the name implies, with a plethora of functions. What unique capabilities does it possess? Automated compression, automatic conveying, automatic folding, and automatic roll packaging are just a few examples. All of these features are possible with the JK-CR4 mattress packaging line. When compared to comparable equipment, the benefit is more apparent.

This machine compresses and rolls mattresses completely automatically. It is equipped with an automatic sealing mechanism. This implies that your worker does not need to place the mattress in a bag; instead, your worker should place the mattress on the work table. Indeed, it is an improved version of the JK-CR2, with the addition of an automated bagging feature. The PLC control system is very easy to use. And the mattress is more lovely and generous after packing.

Additional Functionality Enables the Development of New, Smaller Product Dimensions

This technique enabled improvements such as the second roll cage. We are able to safely push the product farther when we are monitoring the actual dimensions and responsiveness of the product in real time. The second roll cage utilizes this technology to almost halve the final package size, providing makers of all-foam beds with a new packaging dimension choice for their goods.

by Hanvey Huang

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How to Use Competitive Intelligence to Uncover your Competitors' Strategies

How to use Competitive Intelligence to uncover your competitors’ strategies To stay ahead of your competitors, you must learn faster than them. This is where Competitive Intelligence comes in. Getting on the front foot and knowing what they are doing before they do. By understanding their patterns and behaviors, you can create a competitive advantage. This article suggests how to use Competitive Intelligence to uncover your competitors’ strategies.

Uncover your competitors’ strategies Do you know your understanding of your competitors is highly likely to be entirely wrong? And if you don’t have any Competitive Intelligence in place then you will be entirely wrong. Do you know how powerful it is to understand what your competitors are actually doing instead of thinking you know? And more importantly what they are going to do. Success and failure depend on how much you know your competitive environment. And yes, it’s not just about competitors.

What is Competitive Intelligence?

Competitive Intelligence is the finding, sorting and critical analysis of information. To make sense of what’s happening and why. Predict what’s going to happen and give the options to help you control the outcome. Competitive Intelligence offers more certainty, competitive advantage, insight, growth & security. To stay ahead of competitors, you must learn faster than them. To know the answer before it’s too late to do something about it. And to get on the front foot and know what they are doing perhaps even before they do. So how can you learn faster? Well, given the theme of our last 450 articles, the answer is competitor analysis. Used with a robust Competitive Intelligence process.

Yes, Competitive Intelligence focuses on competitors. But also customers, suppliers, the group of competitors as one, and other stakeholders. Also products and markets and economic, legal and technological factors. Its primary purpose is directed at the external environment. So that you are more confident that the right actions can be taken promptly to stay competitive.

1. Expect competitor moves Competitors can change their strategies instantly without much thought. Or at least that is how it appears if their rivals are not looking. Competitor Intelligence helps you figure out what they will do and when.

“We could anticipate competitor’s moves one or even two steps in advance”.

John Chambers, former Chairman of Cisco

And he is right.

2. Stay ahead of your competitors with Competitive Intelligence Competitive Intelligence is increasingly relevant to stay ahead of your competition. Competitors are working hard to find out as much information about you and your marketplace. If you find this to be untrue, then you’re looking at the wrong competitors. It doesn’t matter how great your product is or how well you are doing. You need to be on it every day, even if you are the market leader. You need to go beyond reacting to situations. If not, you risk getting killed if you have to respond to competitive moves.

3. Find new opportunities with Competitive Analysis Your competitors could be the best salespeople you have. But only if you pay attention to what they are doing and whom they are talking to, new things they are working on and the strategies they are pursuing.

It’s important to pay attention to these questions about your competitors:

What they are doing? Whom they are talking to? What new things they are working on? What are the strategies they are pursuing? Why are they pursuing those strategies? And yes we can do this and so much more for you.

But also, if they are not performing well in the eyes of customers, you need to know why and be on hand to assist them. The customers, not your competitor. But, they can change the marketplace. With new ways of using their current and next technologies can smash your market to bits.

4. Stand out with competitor analysis and Competitive Intelligence You need to be seen as different and stand out to the customers you are trying to attract. You will already have the message you wish to shout from the rooftops. But is it working? Is your competitors’ brand identity working for them? If so, why? Is there anything you can take from them and develop into something better?

You need to know where you fit into your overall market. And investigating competitors is essential for developing your brand positioning.

5. Know your market dynamics with Competitive Intelligence Competitive Intelligence assists you in sparking new ideas and fresh thinking. With Competitive Intelligence, you evaluate how your competition sells and positions their offerings. Understand how they isolate and then exploit gaps in the market. Gaps that maximize their profit margins. Knowing market dynamics allows you to make better operational decisions.

6. Innovation and Competitive Intelligence All companies with a desire to grow and survive into the next decade need to be innovative. Innovation gives you a sustained competitive advantage. So you get ahead of your competitors and attract their customers to you. Knowing what your competitors are up to should never ever about copying them. You have to get ahead of them and be better than them. The more you get ahead, the more growth and profit you will experience.

7. Making better decisions with Competitive Intelligence The truth is that you need more certainty and insights, not data. Data is what happens in the past, and it is perilous. It can be helpful for many things, but it is never forward-looking. And it never takes into account that we have to deal with something called humans. And the unexpected things that happen. There’s no argument that data is important and revolutionizing the world we live in. It’s not an us and them situation. Data is key aspect of Competitive Intelligence. An important part, but still only part.

Real-time Competitive Intelligence helps you empower your decisions making and achieve your goals. By looking for evidence of industry trends and not just buying the latest Gartner report. Find out your competitors’ marketing plans, new product launches and innovations. And looking for changes to the market you currently and will work in.

8. Be quicker Pandemics, fuel crisis, wars, digitization, globalization, and deregulation gives us future uncertainty. And with technology making these things move at light speeds means, we need to know what’s happening next. Otherwise, it will be impossible for you to compete against the fast-moving competitors. Competitive Intelligence is the solution to provide you with competitive insights. Backed by accurate, latest, and complete well thought out information.

It’s essential to understand your competitors to stay ahead of the game. Yet, this understanding can be wrong if you do not have the correct information. So, it’s important to know where to find this information and how to use it to gain the upper hand. So, if you are not involved, you need to start! If not, your competitors will have a competitive advantage over you, and they could crush you. But they will seriously damage you.

How to use Competitive Intelligence to uncover your competitors’ strategies In conclusion, it is evident that you must learn faster than them to stay ahead of your competition. How to use Competitive Intelligence to uncover your competitors’ strategies was this article’s title. Competitive Intelligence can help you do that by giving you the information you need. To know what they are doing before they do. Get on the front foot and become the market leader with CI today!

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Why Competitor Analysis in SaaS tech is essential for competitive advantage?

Why Competitor Analysis in SaaS tech is essential for competitive advantage? If you are in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business, you dont need us to tell you the industry is changing. Almost daily new competitors and new solutions are appearing, cancelling out the darlings of the SaaS industry. Here we ask why Competitor Analysis in SaaS tech is essential for competitive advantage.

You know you have to constantly develop better ways to stay ahead in the market and attract more customers. You need a strategy to keep moving forward within the sea of ever-changing rules. And most importantly, to find out what makes you stand out from your competitors. And once you stand out, you have to stay ahead and be aware of those sharp rocks which can stop your journey in its tracks.

To keep moving forward with your growth, you need to know how to do competitor analysis. SaaS business competitor analysis allows you to make the most of your potential. And gain insight to rise further in your industry.

Know Your Competitors The first step in SaaS competitor analysis is understanding who your competitors are. You will, of course, be able to trot off a number of competitors straight away. That’s the easy bit, and it’s those new ones and those you have heard about but have yet to compete with directly. Don’t forget those you have never heard of. This competitor analysis is on top of your day job. You know the problems with a new bit of coding, networking, keeping your team happy and making sure the financials are good. And ensuring the investors are not getting cold feet.

The best place to start a fundamental competitor analysis is to think about the type of services you provide and how you deliver them. List them and define which ones are direct competitors. That’s those who offer the same services as your business. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. A customer who will not know your tech inside out.

Why? Well, at all times, remember that you are selling your offering to humans. And most will not care about the bangs and whistles of the tech. They want to know how you are going to solve their problem. Understand this, and you will already have a competitive advantage over many of your rivals.

So think about your offering in the eyes of a customer. If they are looking for a specific service, they will choose between you and others. These are the competitors you need to stand out to get them to pick you. So as a customer, what options do they have? You may think that you know all there is to know about your SaaS competitor. But our experience tells us that you have only scratched the surface.

Gather Data There are many factors you need to consider when collecting competitor data. You must be open to as many options and sources as possible to get a fuller picture as possible.

But you have to be careful that you don’t try and get everything on everyone. You must determine a set of questions you need to answer about them. These questions will provide you with a purpose and focus and stop wasting time on “nice to know’s” and “need to know’s”.

What is Competitor Analysis?

Competitor Analysis evaluates your competitors. To understand and compare them to your way of doing things. To know their current and future direction, how they do business, their strengths and weaknesses, why customers buy from them to increase your competitive advantage. We have seen reports where questions were not defined, and the only insight provided was a products list and their office address in Timbuktu. Getting a technology solution before finding what you really need will only disappoint. And looking at the standard of competitive analysis templates some providers send to prospects, be very careful. Zero analysis and lots of graphs will give you a completely false impression of Competitive Intelligence.

Where to first look? The best places to start looking for competitive information can be the obvious ones like:

The customer journey. How easy is it to buy from them? (And you, of course) Their website, how easy it is to use and how well have they SEO’d it Their offerings and what customers think their featured and benefits What do their customers feel about them? Look at online reviews and go beyond their features and benefits Their pricing strategy How well they do in search results Their social media presence, what they are saying and to who Gathering information for your competitor analysis is all about the questions you created and the SaaS competitor’s content and proclaimed service benefits. And their track record with current and past customers. Again think like a customer and not the tech-savvy genius you are. Mystery shopping is a great way to find information and talk to the people who work for your competitor. Signing up for free trials is good, but remember to have the customer mindset.

Organise and Analyse So you have collected a lot of information about your competitors. The next thing to do is to collate the information into data and then analyse it. Avoid charts and graphs as much as possible. Only use them when comparing yourself and other competitors. Try putting information onto post-it notes. Moving them around to look for similarities and patterns. We are not saying don’t use graphs and charts. But never use them for the sake of it. We see reports where graphs and charts have been put in to make a report look pretty.

So you have analysed the competitor information:

What were the differences between them, you and each other? Did you find any similarities? Could you find any strengths and weaknesses What and how can you do to exceed their strengths and exploit their weaknesses? Most importantly, ask why to all the questions. After comparing competitors with your operations, write down the key findings, Then ask:

Where can your own business can improve, Can you build on your strengths Can you encourage efficiencies and remove inefficiencies Why Competitor Analysis in SaaS tech is essential for competitive advantage? So why Competitor Analysis in SaaS tech is essential for competitive advantage? If your SaaS business wants to expand, you need to get the better of your competitors, increase your market share and gain a competitive advantage. If you need detailed competitor analysis, we can help. Octopus Intelligence operates in your disruptive industry and more traditional sectors. We are here if and when you need us. Leaving no rock unturned to answer the what, the how, the now, and the next. We have a reputation as being distinctive, refreshing, creative, innovative and approachable.

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What Kind of Website Does My Business Need? Pre-designed or Custom?

That being said, in keeping with my mission to help business owners and entrepreneurs achieve greater success, I thought it would be good to share some insight on this topic.

After building websites for well over 20 years, I’ve learned a thing or two about what kind of website will work best for a particular business.

So, if you’re asking yourself, “What kind of website does my business need?” then this article should give you a better idea of what will work best for you.

What Kind of Website Does My Business Need? If you want to build a website for your business, there are a plethora of options out there, to the point of it becoming completely overwhelming.

But for the purposes of this article, I’m going to make things a bit simpler by discussing just two of the most popular choices – pre-designed WordPress themes and custom-themed WordPress websites.

Yes, there are also third-party DIY builder sites, such as Wix or GoDaddy’s free Website Builder option, but if you’re a serious business owner who wants to set yourself apart from your competitors and have full control and ownership over your website, I don’t recommend going that route.

Before I continue, though, let me explain what WordPress is for those of you who might not be familiar.

WordPress is a free, open-source platform that facilitates the building of websites and the management of content on those websites.

It’s the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world, it can be used to build anything from a personal blog to a thriving online storefront, and it powers more than 62 percent of all CMS websites.

Now, not to get too confusing, but there are two versions of WordPress.

There’s the kind where you log into wordpress.com and build your site within their hosted platform, or there’s wordpress.org where you can download and install the WordPress files onto a web hosting server. For the sake of this article, I’m referring to the latter.

So, now that you know what WordPress is, let’s talk about some of the options it offers for building a website, and which one might be right for your business.

READ: Why Cheap Websites Are More Expensive Than You Think

Just like everything else, when it comes to websites, you get what you pay for.

If you make the investment in a custom-built website, it can help you to grow your business and become an invaluable asset, but if you go the cheap route, you could end up having to spend more money doing the whole thing over again.

This article discusses why it’s so important to make that investment, and offers a list of recommended resources for business owners who are looking to take the plunge.

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Pre-designed and Built WordPress Themes If you know nothing about the world of web design, you might not even know the term “WordPress themes”, so before I get into why you might want one, let me start by explaining what they are.

A WordPress theme is basically a bunch of files, including things like code, graphics, and style guides, that dictate the overall look, feel, and to some extent, the functionality of a website.

All WordPress websites use a theme; however, your choice is whether to purchase a pre-designed and built theme or to have one custom-designed specifically for your business brand and its unique needs.

The main selling point of pre-designed, purchased WordPress themes is that they eliminate the need to have any specialized knowledge or skills, such as the ability to code, allowing pretty much anyone to build a website, even if they have no web design experience.

However, the main problem with pre-designed WordPress themes is that they have many limitations.

The image below shows one of the available themes on ThemeForest, a popular WordPress theme store, which sells for $59 CDN.

As you can tell, they are cheap, and some are even free, but what you see is what you get with these themes.

They’ll allow you to swap out the text, images, and colours on your website, but that’s pretty much it.

This rigidity makes it impossible to do things that might seem simple, like moving an element from one part of a page to another, unless you know how to code.

And because they’re not custom-coded, themes tend to rely on pieces of software called plugins for most of their functionality, and if a website is using too many plugins, that can negatively affect its speed and make it tougher to find on search engines.

Using a purchased theme can also affect how search engines crawl or “read” a website if the code behind the theme isn’t properly structured, which is too often the case when it comes to these pre-built themes, and this can also make a website harder to find.

In addition, depending on how popular the theme is, your website can end up looking suspiciously similar to hundreds or even thousands of other websites, which is never a good thing for a business that’s trying to differentiate itself from the competition.

With all these drawbacks, you might be wondering, “Why would I even want a pre-designed WordPress theme?”

Well, as I said above, if you want a website where you have 100 percent control over how it looks, functions and gets found on search engines, a pre-designed WordPress theme is not what you want.

But despite their limitations, there are legitimate reasons for using these themes.

For instance, if you’re brand new to the world of business, and you’re not sure about things like your target audience or unique selling position, then a pre-designed theme is probably a good place to start while you sort out your business model and offerings.

Maybe you don’t have the money to invest thousands of dollars into a custom website, or maybe you’re just not looking to be the owner of a big business making hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars every year.

Whatever the case, if this is where you’re at with your business, it’s probably not worth it to invest a lot of money and time into a custom WordPress website, and a pre-designed theme should be more than sufficient.

Custom-themed WordPress Websites If you’ve factored branding into your marketing budget and you’re looking to make a big splash with a new business, or you want to rebrand your existing business, then a custom-themed WordPress website is the way to go.

A custom-themed WordPress website is exactly what it sounds like – a website built using WordPress’ CMS structure that’s custom-designed to look and function exactly the way you want.

The main selling point of these kinds of websites is their lack of limitations. If you’re working with a seasoned web designer or a reputable digital marketing agency, they can build your website exactly as you want it, with the only constraints being your budget and your imagination.

When websites are strategically designed with these things in mind, it makes the conversion or sale that much easier because when users come to the site they feel like they’ve landed in the right place.

Now, despite the freedom of choice you’ll get with a custom-themed WordPress website, it’s important to mention they do take considerably longer to create than something based on a pre-designed theme, and they’re going to cost you more money.

But if you’re serious about growing your business, then the cost shouldn’t deter you, because, in this day and age, a website is integral to your marketing, so it’s better to look at it as an investment anyway.

Just to put things in perspective, a pre-designed WordPress theme can cost as little as a few dollars, and if you have all your content ready and you know what you’re doing, it can be pieced together in a few days.

However, the industry-standard time for designing and developing a custom-themed website is about 12-14 weeks, and if you want it done right, it’s going to cost you at least a few thousand dollars.

That being said, aside from the time it takes and what it’s going to cost you, there’s really no downside to a custom-themed website.

Not only will you be able to get the exact design and functionality you want for your website, but if you hire a marketing agency to create it, as many business owners do, you’re going to get access to the expertise of an entire team of marketing professionals.

This will ensure you have a website that functions properly, looks great, aligns perfectly with your brand positioning, and is easily found on search engines.

In addition, this kind of website will look more professional, set you apart from your competition, position you as more credible and trustworthy, and will be much more likely to resonate with your ideal customers.

Hiring an agency to do this for you can also eliminate the stress that would result from trying to figure out how to do all this stuff yourself, allowing you to focus on your business while a team of professionals takes care of your website.

Are you still asking yourself, “What kind of website does my business need?” We’ve been building high-performing websites for more than 20 years. Contact us today to find out if a custom-themed WordPress website is right for your business.

To your business success, Susan Friesen

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