This guide outlines what a brand identity is, and the steps and strategies you can take to develop or improve your brand identity.
It’s been said time and time again. People don’t buy from faceless companies. They buy from people. And while that’s all well and good, the inescapable fact is that you run a business. And it’s hard to imbue a business with a sense of character, personality and identity. Crack this nut, however, and you can create a business brand that speaks to your target audience and lays the foundations for a satisfying, reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship.
But what is a brand identity? And how can you help your business to find one of its own that resonates with your target audience without selling out the ideals and principles that make it what it is? How can you create an identity that feels real and authentic and free of that soulless, cynical corporate flavor that you permeates so much of the business world’s palate these days?
Here we’ll look at some of the ways in which you can create your very own brand identity…
What is a brand identity?
Your brand identity is at the heart of creating a powerful brand. It is the perceived set of attributes with which people associate your brand and business. It’s in everything from the font you use on your website to the way in which your employers greet your customers when they walk through your doors. Whether you conduct your business in person or online, your brand identity is the sense of character that consumers get when they interact with your business, and to project your brand identity professionally and cohesively online, you may benefit from custom website application development services.
Defining that identity comes with a combination of market research and personal characteristics. After all, for many entrepreneurs, the brand is an extension of themselves. Its mission statement, aims and attributes are usually based on things that matter to you personally and professionally.
Your brand identity should resonate in everything you do and provide a benchmark against which you should measure yourself. It should inspire you to be at your best, whether you’re sparing the expense of professional web development services to create a website you can be proud of or simply ensuring that your employees have access to regular training and development. So, now that we know a little about what a brand identity is, let’s look at some ways in which you can develop yours.
Find common ground with your target audience
Finding commonality between your business (and you as its owner) is crucial in creating a successful brand identity. For example, many women start their own businesses as a reaction to a male dominated market filled with predominantly male modes of thought and operation. As such, branding themselves as solutions for women by women can be extremely appealing.
This commonality will affect the tone of voice with which you approach all aspects of your branding from your blog to your digital marketing campaigns.
Find out what your audience wants and make yourself the solution to their problems
Meticulous market research is absolutely essential in ensuring that your brand identity resonates with your audience. Only by knowing the common problems, hurdles and frustrations that they encounter can you establish yourself as the solution to their problems.
This is not just something that you’ll achieve through the products and services that you offer, but through your online content like your blog posts and videos. If your content helps them with their problems or addresses their concerns, it’s infinitely more valuable to your clientele and more likely to strengthen their personal connection to your brand.
Determine what associations you want to create with your brand identity… And build them
How do you want people to perceive your brand? Do you want to be seen as strong, effective and reliable? Do you want to be seen as witty, funny and irreverent? Do you want to be classy and prestigious? Or caring and nurturing? Keep in mind that these aren’t mutually exclusive.
Having decided what kinds of associations with which you want your brand to be associated, it’s up to you to establish the infrastructure for building them. For example, if you’re aiming for a caring and compassionate brand identity your customer service needs to be absolutely second to none. If marketing your brand identity on your reliability or prestige, you need to invest in ensuring that your products are made from the very finest components and are more than fit for purpose.
Fall short of the promises your brand makes and you can expect to be called on it!
Make yourself the face of your brand identity
Finally, don’t be afraid to step out from behind the curtain and establish yourself as the face of your business. People will be more likely to trust your brand when they can put a face to it. It shows that you’re not only ready to make a personal connection to your clientele, you’re not afraid of accountability.
