The most successful companies in today’s economy aren’t necessarily the ones that have the best products or lowest prices. With supply exceeding demand in nearly every industry, there are 10 companies available and waiting to meet any customer’s next need. And what do consumers do when they’re overwhelmed with choices? They look for brands that they can trust, companies that speak their language, and imagery they can relate to. This is why creating a strong brand identity is crucial. Below is an outline of the five most significant elements of doing this.
1. Research: Finding the Right Identity
Building an amazing brand identity without doing research first is a lot like playing darts in a dark room; you’ll only score points if you get lucky and you’re more likely to draw the attention of people you weren’t wanting attention from. A quick study of who your target market is, what their day-to-day lives are like, and what kind of imagery and language appeals to them will go a long way in making sure your brand identity is one they’re happy to associate themselves with.
2. Logo: The Graphic Representation of Your Brand’s Personality
If you think a nice graphic beside your company name in a fancy font makes a decent logo, it’s time for a rethink. Fantastic logos are ones that are able to tell people a lot about your company in only a small space. Seemingly simple things like colours, typography, and shapes – when used correctly – can form a familiar icon that customers can turn to when choosing between products, as well as a symbol of what your brand stands for. This is why it’s important that you have your logo created by a graphic designer or creative agency, such as 4040 Creative, that understands this.
3. Marketing Material: The Consistent Image
Once your brand’s identity is set and you have a logo to match it, you need to ensure that your marketing material (all of it) maintains the image and personality of your brand. This is essential for developing a sense of familiarity between all the products and services that you offer, which then enables satisfied customers to choose your brand again and again – because each item and encounter with you reminds them of the first positive experience they had with your company. This approach of consistency should be applied to all things, both online and offline, including your website, advertising, social media, and product packaging.
4. Story: Using Your Past to Shape Your Identity
Just about every successful company has some kind of story, whether it’s how the founder became inspired or how a small group of passionate people turned a dream into a business. Whether your own story is already interesting or needs a little bit of embellishment, make sure that you tell it and make sure it blends in seamlessly with the brand image that you are trying to create.
5. Mission: Your Brand’s Bigger Picture
To be a big deal, you have to think on a large scale. Publically setting ambitious goals to change the world in some small way is a great method for revealing what your brand views as important issues. If you follow number 1 (above) properly, you’ll have the advantage of knowing the things that your target audience generally cares about, and you’ll be able to position your brand as having similar interests.
Amazing products, great service, and value for money are all things worth pursuing. However, your brand identity is the elastic that holds it all together and what will make your company stand out from the competition. Invest in it.