Are You Making These Common Branding Mistakes?

Branding is more than just a logo—it’s the soul of your business. However, many businesses make common branding mistakes that weaken their reputation, confuse customers, and even impact revenue.

At ComePlum, we help small businesses refine their branding—but we also see avoidable mistakes pop up over and over again. The good news? With the right strategy, you can fix these branding errors and build a brand that truly connects with your audience.

Mistake #1: Thinking Branding Is Just About Visuals

Many businesses believe branding is just about having a nice logo, font, and color scheme. While visuals are important, they’re only one part of the bigger picture.

What Branding Actually Is:

✔️ Your mission, vision, and values
✔️ Your reputation and how people experience your business
✔️ The feeling your brand creates for customers
✔️ The system of influence you build

How to Fix It:

Before focusing on visual identity, define your brand’s core foundation:

• What do you stand for?
• How will the world be different because your business exists?
• What do you want people to think, feel, and say about your brand?

Once your brand foundations are clear, your visuals should support them, not replace them.

Want to go deeper? Listen to our episode on defining your brand foundation.

Mistake #2: Your Online Presence and Real-Life Experience Don’t Match

Have you ever been excited about a brand online, only to be disappointed when you experience it in real life? Maybe their social media was warm and welcoming, but their customer service felt cold and impersonal.

When there’s a disconnect between your online presence and real-world experience, it damages trust, reputation, and customer loyalty.

How to Fix It:

• Align your brand across all touchpoints. If your website feels polished and professional, your customer interactions should reflect that too.
• Define the experience you want people to have. Should they feel welcomed, empowered, or inspired? Make sure that’s reflected in every interaction.
• Train your team to uphold your brand’s values and customer experience.

A consistent brand builds trust and credibility—both online and in person.

Mistake #3: Confusing Your Business with Your Brand

Many entrepreneurs think their business and brand are the same thing—but they’re not.

The Difference:

• Your business = The service or product you offer.
• Your brand = The feeling, reputation, and experience you create.

For example, when ComePlum first launched, our business was photography. But our brand was about professionalism, inspiration, and confidence. Now, we’ve expanded to videography, web design, and brand coaching—while maintaining the same brand values.

Why This Matters:

Your brand can grow beyond your initial business. If you clearly define your brand, you can pivot, expand, and evolvewithout losing your audience.

Mistake #4: Your External Brand Looks Great, But Your Internal Culture Is a Mess

Your brand reputation isn’t just built on how customers see you—it’s also shaped by your team culture.

A business may have a beautiful website, polished marketing, and strong customer engagement, but if their internal team is struggling, it shows.

How to Fix It:

• Treat your employees and contractors as part of your brand.
• Align internal values with external messaging. If your brand is about inspiration and confidence, make sure your team feels inspired and supported too.
• Encourage a culture of integrity, respect, and growth. A happy, motivated team will naturally promote your brand and attract more business.

Your employees and team members are your biggest brand ambassadors—make sure they experience the same respect and alignment as your customers.

TLDR:

Avoiding these common branding mistakes can help you build a brand that is consistent, trustworthy, and impactful.

• Branding is more than visuals—it’s about reputation, values, and experience.
• Your online and offline presence should match for a seamless customer journey.
• Your business and brand are not the same—your brand is bigger than your services.
• Strong internal culture leads to a stronger external brand.

At ComePlum, we provide branding education and visual services to help businesses show up with confidence.

Need help with branding? Let’s chat! Follow us on Instagram @ComePlum or get in touch at ComePlum.com.