How do you define your brand identity?
If this question has you stumped from the outset, you’re not alone. Brand identity is a much-misunderstood concept. While most large companies and business enterprises are adept at branding and marketing their image and identity to the world, small business owners may struggle with the concept of branding and, in particular, their brand identity.
Even understanding just what brand identity entails can be a mystery.
To succeed in business, whether you are a sole trader, a small business, a medium-sized business, or a large multinational, branding is key to conveying your message and becoming recognizable in your preferred way. Your brand identity is the cornerstone of any successful branding and marketing strategy.
What Is Brand Identity?
“A brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.”
– Jeff Bezos
Brand identity refers to the features of your brand which identify and distinguish it in the minds of consumers. It culminates in the look, feel, tone, and message of your brand and the emotional and cognitive response it elicits from consumers. Ultimately, your brand identity will dictate how others perceive your business, its appeal, and its credibility.
Identity is much more than simply the image of your brand, though it does incorporate the visual aspects of your branding strategy. Rather than simply reflecting your chosen logo, color scheme, and other visual elements of your unique business, your brand identity conveys the intent behind your branding strategy to elicit the desired response to your brand in the minds of consumers.
Brand identity is comprised of your:
- Company/Business Name
- Logo
- Color Palette
- Slogan or Tagline
- Fonts and Graphics
- Imagery
- Tone/Voice
- Personality
- Values
How Is Brand Identity Important for Your Small Business?
To be competitive, whether locally or internationally, you must cultivate real connections with your customers — and these connections are achieved through marketing, engagement, and messaging. Your brand identity is the foundation for these.
The qualities your brand identity helps to convey are psychologically persuasive — and this is what attracts your target audience. Each component builds on the others to create a cohesive, coherent visual message about your brand’s personality, which also differentiates your brand from your competitors.
Tips for Building Your Brand Identity
1. Your brand identity must be cohesive, positive, and reflect your product, service, and values. Consistency in your marketing strategy and messaging are crucial.
2. It must be MEMORABLE and instantly identifiable.
3. What do you do? You need to identify your niche and remain aligned with it.
4. Research your customers. Who are they? What are they looking for? What do they like? Where do they live? How do they live? What matters to them? What need do they have that you can provide the right solutions for?
5. Create your unique brand assets — your colour palette, logo, typography, imagery and overall style. These must all work together and complement each other — as well as remain consistent.
6. What is your brand story? Storytelling is crucial to building your brand and connecting with your audience. Consider and incorporate why your brand exists, how it relates to people, what its values are, and what solutions it provides.
7. What emotional impact do you wish to achieve? This could be inspiring, motivating, sophisticated, traditional, whimsical, secure, creative, comforting, fun, edgy, smart, energetic, benevolent, professional, minimalist, playful, luxurious, subversive, sensual, etc. Create your visual identity and content around this.
8. Adapt your brand over time — refine and update it based on customer feedback and what resonates most with your target audience.
In Conclusion
Whether you are a local roofer, a beautician, a photographer, a veterinary clinic, a childcare center, a café, a financial advisor, a bookseller, a school, a non-profit, a dog-walker, or anything in between, your branding strategy and your brand identity are the key to your success!
A positive brand image delivers for you by fostering brand loyalty, attracting and retaining customers, building customer trust, and boosting your profits. Ultimately, brand identity is a powerful influencing tool for guiding how people think about your business. Branding takes time and requires a commitment. A professional branding agency has the tools, insights, and techniques to help you define, develop, build, and transmit your brand identity for greater business growth and success.
