Your brand identity is a fundamental part of your path to success. A brand identity encompasses your brand’s goals, visions, and values.
Branding is the direct link that takes place in a person’s mind that associates an image, color, logo, or saying to a company. Think about the Nike Swoosh. You just have to see the Swoosh and you know it’s a Nike product. No company name is needed. That’s branding.
There is some conceptual work that must be done to start the process of building your brand identity. Once you’ve done these steps, you’ll be able to build a strong brand with a clear and consistent identity.
Find Your Brand’s Voice
The ‘voice’ of your brand is the personality that your brand represents. How do you find that ‘voice’? Imagine you’re having a conversation with a happy customer. What is it about this conversation that is so successful? What emotions did you evoke in the customer? What words did you use to make that emotion happen?
Now, take this conversation one step further and imagine this happy customer talking to their friends about your company. How do you want people to talk about your company?
Once you’ve worked through these questions, you will understand the tone, mood, and attitude you want to use in your branding.
Define Your Core Values
To succeed, you need to commit your business to goals other than making a profit, not that there’s anything wrong with making money! But a brand’s true connection to their audience is when they can show they believe in something bigger.
You can highlight the added value that people get from your brand. Do your products make it easier for people to get a job done? Can your service offer an opportunity for relaxation or wellness? List your core values and think about how to connect them to your brand’s voice.
Create Your Story and Your Vision
Everyone relates to stories. Building your brand identity around a story will allow you to interact with your audience on a deeper level. You need to communicate your company’s story in an authentic and relatable manner.
What should comprise your story? First, talk about what inspired you to start your company. What are you hoping to achieve with this business? Next, focus on your target audience. Where does your company fit into their business or lives? What are you offering them and how do you picture your interactions with your customers? Paint a picture that your potential customers can relate to.
Creating Your Brand Identity
The next step is to translate all the work above into practical actions. The first step should be working on your brand design. Choose colors that are associated with your company’s vision and how you want to be thought of.
Create a logo that says it all. Your logo is an important component of your company’s brand. Your logo should capture the essence of your brand in a memorable visual.
Now, describe your brand in just a few words. This is your tagline. A tagline is a very brief statement about your company and what it offers. Here at Blue Lilac Marketing Group, our tagline is “We’re in the business of ideas,” because we are! For Dunkin’ Donuts, it’s “America runs on Dunkin’.” A tagline is meant to make people want to interact with your brand.
There are many other marketing steps you can take to help create your brand identity such as building your online presence on social media and blogging regularly.
Consistency is key in branding. Use your brand everywhere. On your business card, website, and all your social media platforms. Use the same colors, logo, and tone of voice everywhere. If you don’t, you’ll confuse your target audience.
The purpose of branding is to help grow your business.