Everyone is talking about it! There is not a single person in the marketing sphere not caring about the word brand
But it’s not just a word on its own. You can find it as brand identity, brand image, branding, rebranding, brand personality, brand values etc.
What is all that? And how can it be of use? And how to make your brand have all the charisma and uniqueness you need it?
So, hold on, and first things first!
What is Brand Identity?
Brand identity is everything that defines your brand internally and externally. The internal part of your identity is the values, personality, concept and mission of your brand; the external part of your identity is the logo, color, writing style, tagline, catchphrase!
These two parts of your brand identity should align with each other and supplement each other! Just like Ying-Yang!
For example, if you are running an eco-friendly yoga club, then red wouldn’t be the right color for your logo!
If your brand identity is not consistent enough, then the brand image will be different from your brand identity.
Brand image is how your customers, possible leads and acquaintances perceive your brand. This can impact your brand -directly or indirectly-, as it will decrease trust and customer loyalty!
To make sure that your identity and image are a match you should create a proper brand strategy!
You need to take the main principles of personalized marketing and ensure that your brand identity is out there and everyone feels connected with it, as you are the solution to their problem!
So, now that we understand the basic concepts of brand identity, we can start talking about creating a memorable brand identity!
Giving Birth To A Memorable Brand Identity
1. Define Your Goal
Every action we take has a goal. The same applies to branding our identity!
The principal purpose of a brand identity is to create a strong, comprehensive set of identity elements.
This set of elements cannot be created if our goal is not clear to us!
Regardless of the size, reach and audience of our brand, the goal is the basis of brand awareness, consideration, customer acquisition and customer retention!
2. Analyze Your Competition
As your company is most likely competing in a market with other brands, it is crucial to recognize the competition and analyze it.
You need to filter your real competition and see what they offer, what they stand for and the characteristics of their customers.
If you run a local store with handmade jewelry, then your competition is not fast fashion stores, but other local stores selling jewelry.
So you should focus on these local stores that already have a loyal customer basis, the way they operate and what your offer is!
3. Find Your Uniqueness
Having a clear goal and then mapping out your competition will help you in finding what makes you different.
This different approach on your market is your unique selling proposition (USP). Your USP should be clear in your brand identity, as it is the reason that customers will start considering you in the first place!
Most of the time, brands follow the river of someone else! What does that mean?
It means that they have in mind a success story of a specific brand, and try to follow the way that they made it!
However, just ask yourself: what are the chances of preferring a replicate rather than the original?
So, if you have decided the niche market you aim for, then go, be bold and find a way to create demand for your brand identity!
A clear example of that is the Dollar Shave Club, which created the demand by getting out there! Another example is the unique undergarment brand, Bamboo Underwear, which positions itself as a line of fashionable underwear that feels like a hug.
4. Create Brand Guidelines
You have your brand identity, you have analyzed the competition and found your USP. Then, you need to have some brand guidelines.
The brand guidelines, aka brand identity guidelines, are used for any project, case, action that your company will have to go through!
It is important to have clear, specific guidelines, limiting the scope and aspects of your brand. This will assist in making clear what you are up to!
However, as circumstances change rapidly, keep in mind that you need to adapt and be agile to things you haven’t imagined!
Even in this case, your brand guidelines will be there to help you to overcome any difficulty!
5. Visualize Your Brand
Most people start from this step! But it’s a no! How can you create an authentic, original logo for your brand without knowing what you aim for?
The logo of your company is not just an image; it’s the main form of symbolic interaction with the audience!
Be sure that your logo, colors, writing style, tagline are all on the same page and clarify what you stand for!
Pro Tip: one of the most influential colors is blue; it’s statistically one of the most favorite colors!
Raising A Memorable Brand Identity
1. Define Your Brand Organization
Following the traditional way of organizing, operating and recruiting will make it easy for your first steps.
But that’s all you’re gonna do!
You need to think ahead and shape an organizational culture for your brand that you believe in. A culture based on your principles, values and personality!
Create a bottom-top organization structure, which is formed on inclusion of lifestyles, backgrounds and points of view!
Even if you feel discomfort or awkward, it means that you are stepping out of your comfort zone. And no one has ever been a thought-leader and ahead of his time feeling comfortable!
2. Recruit Influencers, Not Just Employees
No, I don’t mean you to recruit actual influencers of any kind! I mean that the kind of thought that sees employees just as people for a specific business task is long gone!
As competition rapidly increases, and social proof is key for any conversion desired, your human resources are the best living proof of your brand personality!
As younger people join the labour market, business will need to adapt to brand new conditions to be able to survive and thrive!
Employees need to feel understood, accepted, supported and taken care of!
No one wants to spend a third of his day in an unfriendly environment!
So, your brand should be open, authentic and allow employees to co-create the future of the company!
3. Create A Social Media Strategy
I am not going to talk about creating a Facebook page, an Instagram business account or any other form of social media.
It is up to you to decide which social media you want to use, which ones are related to your brand and where you want to place your bets!
The best solution is to create an omnichannel marketing strategy, which will bring the desired results!
Firstly, make sure that all logos, descriptions, banners are consistent across different social media.
Secondly, prepare and create templates for specific kinds of announcements that you might make.
Also, adapt your posts, announcements and content, based on the different audiences each social medium has!
For example, Pinterest and Tik Tok do not share the same audience!
Pro Tip: Branding through social media can be highly impactful. Use a bit of emotional storytelling to make your brand more relatable to humans. Interact with people, through YouTube, and live streaming showing them basic procedures in your brand (and don’t forget to smile).
4. Analyze Your Feedback
As your brand evolves and increases its reach and audience, more and more people are going to spread some words about you.
There are people who will fall in love with your brand, people who will hate your brand and people who will neither hate nor love you!
No matter where someone’s opinion stands, you can always collect data and analyze them! Ask for some extra information, details and ask what could be provided differently.
Take the negative reviews, think through them, and create a new user-generated business development strategy!
Pro Tip: If your company can support it, you can run an email marketing campaign to receive criticisms and review on what you provide! Make sure that you run an email deliverability test first, because you wouldn’t want your emails to be collectively considered spam!
5. Extend Brand And Evolve
You have created your memorable brand identity, you have raised it well and now it’s time for you to take everything and extend your brand!
Keep in mind your unique position in your market, research on the ways your brand has interacted with your customers, and evolve!
Why?
Because if you don’t, your memorable brand identity will be just history, and not making history!
Pro Tip: You have your brand guidelines, so make sure that you take them into consideration! Rebranding can be very helpful, especially if you pro-act and not react to the latest trends!
Being A Responsible Brand
Besides all the steps and tips given before, it is crucial to understand that societies evolve and change!
2020 is another year that we have already seen tremendous changes and we will witness much more!
Your brand needs to be responsible! Socially responsible! Yes, that’s right! You need to follow corporate social responsibility!
Based on a Unilever survey, 33% of consumers buy only from brands that have a positive social impact and there is 1.2$ trillion opportunity for brands that make their sustainability goals clear!
Ready For Your Brand Identity?
Let’s sum it up!
Think about your goal, find your competition, differentiate yourself, form your guidelines, and then give body and soul to your brand!
Create your organizational structure, find the appropriate employees to make your influencers, conceptualize your social media strategy, take advantage of feedback, and evolve!
To do all that, ensure that your brand is inclusive to all, respects diversity and promotes social causes!
Then, people will be happy to engage with your brand, share their moments with you, and bring you your next customers!
Tell me how that goes, your opinion and the outcomes!
Or, maybe the news will tell me about your brand!
About the author
Christoforos Zafeiris works as the SEO Copywriter for the email marketing software company Moosend. He has always been eager to change the narrative and influence trends with his words; thus, copywriting is the only natural choice for him. Besides that, he has been an enthusiast of human communication, long walks and emotional storytelling.
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