If your logo looks like everyone else’s—how will your customers remember you? And how will new customers find you?

A good logo is critical for a successful business. Here are five ways an outstanding corporate identity will help your company succeed.

1. Great Logos Make Great First Impressions
Before your sales person knocks on the door, before your truck pulls up, and even before they call you, potential customers consider your logo when they decide whom to trust.
When people can easily remember your logo, you have a competitive edge.

2. Attract New Customers
Your customers see hundreds of logos a day—and they know a good logo when they see one. By sending the right message to potential customers, your logo helps them choose you over the competition.
When customers initially see the logo on flyers, trucks and website, they feel good about your company. And unless there’s something you can show potential customers to convince them their expectations will be met, they will turn to the competition. Your logo helps you persuade them.

3. Stand Out from Your Competition
Flip through the phone book and you’ll quickly see that potential customers have plenty of company choices. You’ll also notice very few logos stand out from the crowd. Differentiating yourself from your competition is critical in winning the battle for customers.

Original uses of colors, words, shapes, and fonts can set your logo apart from the rest.

4. Keep Loyal Customers

Good service is the key to keeping your customers. But what happens when a competitor moves in with shiny trucks, clean-cut employees, a professional look and promises to match your service? If your company image isn’t as good, your customers may be tempted to try the competition.

Don’t put your business in that position. A great logo convinces high-end customers who look for a loyal, long-term relationship to choose you over the next guy, who is probably waiting around the corner.

5. Earn Trust with Professionalism
What convinces people to choose an established business over a newcomer? Often it’s the professionalism of the business.
People, when see a professional logo, and see that the company is there from year to year, it helps build trust. If you can send the message of professionalism through your logo, a lot of the work is done for you.

Many small companies make the mistake of not putting enough thought and budget into the development of a brand at the start-up of the company. They lacked the financial ability to have a logo designed, and often don’t realize the importance of a well-designed brand image. A company’s logo is a visual representation of who they are and what they do, it creates recognition in the market, and instills a feeling of value and trust in the consumer.