Branding for Communities: Affordable Implementation

“Branding for Communities: The Feel of Your Community” is the latest posting in the Branding for Communities series. Understanding the need for the development and implementation of a brand is important for every community. Check out the first post in this series, “Why Branding“, for a refresher as to the importance of branding to your community.

Going through the exercise of branding is taxing on those involved. It is not a simple process when done right. But creating the brand (or rebranding) for your community is only the first step. There’s plenty more work ahead of you once the brand has been created.

Implementation is a key step in any branding process. Heck, it is key to any planning process for your community. Lackluster implementation limits buy-in and the overall impact on your community. Without proper and timely implementation, your entire rebranding process will look like a failure.

But Where to Start with Branding Implementation?

Clearly, signage is an important aspect of implementation. It’s where one’s mind immediately tends to go when thinking about implementing a brand. But custom signage often gets quite costly. Thankfully, there are affordable ways to implement a brant that can change the overall look and feel of your community.

Applications, Flyers, Name Tags

One of these is clearly the stationery and other print media put out by your community. Anything going out to residents, governmental officials, visitors, potential businesses, and other entities should reflect your brand. If using a consultant, hopefully they’ll provide a draft letterhead that reflects your brand as part of a branding toolbox provided during the brand process. Make informational flyers that reflect your brand. Anything going outbound from your town should reflect your brand, selling it to those it reaches, blatantly or subconsciously.

This should be one of the lowest-cost changes that you can do and therefore one of the first implementation projects to undertake. Most applications and flyers are typically printed with your own printer. Custom name tags can be purchased for $10-15 through some online merchants. Business cards can be relatively cheap as well depending on the design and the paper used.

Branded Items

Vehicles

But the brand impressions need to go well beyond paper. Community vehicles, from public works trucks all the way to police cars should reflect the brand in one way or another.

For some communities, this is just a logo on the door, possibly with the tagline. Others put the department (i.e. Public Works) below the mark or logo. But for others, it is a wrap of the entire vehicle reflecting the brand of the community in a much more grand expression. Many companies charge a one-time setup fee that might be a little costly, but after that, the door decals typically aren’t that expensive. Roughly $30-50 depending mainly on size.

Branded Shuttle Bus

Branded Trucks

Clothing

Making a relatively cheap, but noticeable impact can also be done through clothing. Whether it is uniforms of the public works department or attire of city hall staff. The brand can be expressed through clothing that is recognizable. If residents and visitors alike can readily recognize you as an employee of the city, then you have succeeded in this goal. Even though employees of Walmart aren’t known to be the most helpful of the commercial chains, you know that they are Walmart employees just by looking at them. That dark blue or bright yellow vest and the opposite color “star” mark is clearly recognizable amongst the throngs of people wandering through the aisles of the retail juggernaut.

Much like most other custom items, branded clothing typically has a one-time setup fee that may be a little steep. But the cost to put a stitched logo on a shirt can be quite affordable.

Importance of the Look and Feel of the Community

These are all relatively inexpensive ways to implement your brand. Although they don’t cost much, they still make enough of an impact to contribute to the overall look and feel of your community. This look and feel of your community is key to instilling a long-term memory of your community to your residents and visitors.

So go forth and implement your brand affordably, but impactfully as well!