Branding has become one of the most important aspects of business strategy. However, it is also one of the most misunderstood. We believe that branding is a strategy used by businesses for creating customer value and maintaining a competitive advantage by building a distinguishable image in the minds of its consumers.
In our previous articles, we have explored what is branding, and the 10 branding elements that every business should consider while formulating their branding strategy.
We will look through each one of these elements in our subsequent blogs, however, in this one, we will focus on how businesses can create a strong Brand Identity.
What is Brand Identity?
Brand identity is a collection of visual elements that symbolize a company's ideals and help customers to remember and differentiate a brand from hundreds of others. It aids in the formation of customer perceptions of a firm, the development of loyalty and trust, and the creation of a memorable brand.
It might be a logo, a design, a colour, or any other visual feature that helps a business stand out among competitors in the eyes of consumers.
For example, Coca-Cola’s brand identity begins with a red logo in script text. The red color elicits confidence in the person who drinks a Coke, while the script typeface is all about enjoyment.
Importance of Brand Identity
Well, Brand Identity helps develop a suitable brand image. Having an identity is really important for the business as it gives rise to brand image. Also, it helps develop its own unique stance and differentiate itself from others in the market. This differentiation also helps in developing a brand positioning strategy and getting a loyal customer-base in the market. Next, Brand Identity creates consistency and helps develop a Brand Personality as well.
Elements of brand identity
Brand identity isn’t merely a logo, it includes more components that you should consider.
Logo - Images, phrases, and forms that express a brand's name and purpose are all examples of logos. Of course, a logo is an important part of a company's identification since customers are drawn to it. A text logo (a separate text-only typographic treatment of a brand's name) can also be used. Because text-only logos are easier to recall, an increasing number of businesses are opting for them these days. According to a study, the 4 most memorable logos are of the Fab Four- Nike, Apple, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola.
Font - After you've chosen a logo, think of the corporate font you'll use on your website and in other marketing initiatives. Choose a typeface that is both eye-catching and simple to read. Proxima Nova, Montserrat, TT Norms Pro, and Helvetica Now are among the greatest fonts. Spotify, Jeep, Bosch, Panasonic, and a slew of other well-known firms employ them.
Style consistency - When we say style, we're referring to the visual aspects of your brand. When it comes to photos and other visual components on your website or in advertising activities, you should be consistent.
Shape and form - A shape or form that reflects your firm and helps people recognize your goods is another important component. Make sure your packaging is distinctive and that the form is engaging. McDonald's, for example, was successful in promoting a distinctive feature. The characteristic "M" shape is now recognized all over the world.
Well, it’s time to finally move on to our next section where we will discuss how businesses can create a strong brand identity.
How to create a strong brand identity?
Analysis of your target audience, target audience, and the USP of your brand- You'll need to undertake market research to figure out who your target audience is, what your unique value proposition is, and who your competitors are. To begin, make sure you understand your target consumers and their requirements. You will be closer to designing a product that people will admire if you understand your audience. Second, examine your product and determine what distinguishes you from the competition and helps you to stand out. To build a strong brand, you must first understand the differences between your firm and its competitors. Finally, write a mission statement that covers your vision and goals.
Developing unique visual elements for your brand that aligns with your ideas- Create a logo that blends your beliefs and accurately portrays your product once you've completed your market research. It is important to remember that it assists clients in recognizing your brand and returning to it.Email campaigns, web push alerts, chatbots, posters, billboards, infomercials, commercials, and other online and offline forms of advertising always contain a logo. Try brainstorming with your team to come up with something original and memorable. Aside from that, it's also critical to provide acceptable packaging and an appealing shape.Decide on a language you will use to communicate with customers- You must connect with your consumers at this point. Use language that fits your brand's personality for this reason. It's critical to maintain a consistent tone throughout all marketing mediums. Consider conveying a tale about your company since people enjoy stories. It aids in the development of relationships with your target audience as well as the elicitation of specific emotions.
Avoid several negative practices- When building a strong brand, it's crucial to stay away from a few things. First and foremost, avoid sending conflicting messages to your audience in order to avoid confusion. Always know what to say and utilize language and pictures that are appropriate for your organization.Second, be one-of-a-kind and original. Look for methods to improve or add something unique to a product you wish to sell. Provide clients with a new feature or higher quality, for example. Finally, and most crucially, keep your principles, concepts, and communications constant. When communicating with leads and consumers, you must keep to your strategy and utilize the same colours, font, components, and shapes.
Monitor your progress- Finally, monitor your performance metrics to see if everything is running well. To gain a sense of how well people perceive your brand, use Google Analytics, surveys, study customer comments on your product, and monitor social media. Furthermore, surveys, reviews, and comments will assist you in identifying areas that want improvement. As a result, you'll be able to improve the user experience.
What should you avoid while building Brand Identity?
It's simple to make a branding error, but it's even simpler to avoid some of the most obvious missteps that might jeopardize one of your company's most valuable assets. The following are some of the most common mistakes Brand marketers make and how you can avoid them.
You’re not keeping things simple - A too-complicated identity can lead to a slew of additional blunders, such as losing audience influence, misrepresenting your company's story, or failing to have a voice. The same may be said for your brand's visual features, such as your logo and marketing brochures.
Brand identity is failing to resonate with the audience - There are a variety of reasons why you may no longer "connect" with your audience. Your buyer personas may be old or incomplete, or you may just lack a thorough understanding of your current audience. In any case, everything your brand conveys should be tailored to your ideal clients' requirements, wants, and aspirations. (This is true regardless of the mode of communication they choose when communicating with your company.)If you're not the answer to your audience's concerns, you'll just wind up being another voice in a sea of firms fighting for their attention. Your brand's worth will drop if you don't connect with your target audience.
Treating Brand development as a low-priority task- It's difficult to construct a credible brand identity if you haven't put in the time or money to do so. By developing an undeveloped identity, this one error may set your brand up for failure, and if your brand isn't leading the charge in defining standards, the rest of your company will be following an unclear and ill-prepared approach. Early on, decide on things like brand standards (colours, taglines, mission statements, logos, communication voice, and more) and be prepared to stick to them indefinitely as your market grows.Your business might suffer if you don't have a clear, consistent message and voice to follow.
Your brand isn’t evolving - Although it may appear to contradict the preceding point, building a consistent brand does not imply allowing it to become stagnant. Brands change, and so do the myriad marketing methods we employ. These shifts can happen from year to year or even month to month, depending on industry trends and the nature of your audience, which likewise shifts over time. It's natural for things to change. You've got a problem when your brand remains static despite all of these continually shifting factors.Because nothing in business is ever static, being able to adapt and learn to be agile is critical for every firm to succeed. You will be outpaced by firms that have adapted to customer demands if you refuse to allow your brand to accept change. To grow is to change, and every business that wants to flourish needs to expand.
Conclusion
Following these steps properly can make your brand memorable and attract the attention of your consumers. With a strong brand identity, you have a chance to reach the hearts of buyers and make them recognize your company. Because in this competitive world, you might not get people to remember much about your brand instantly. No business has ever had actually. You might spend a fortune on advertising and people would still fail to notice. The process is gradual with the branding elements imbibed perfectly into every communication that your business does. Just make sure that whatever you do includes your values, ideas, a memorable logo, and colour that fits your product perfectly. Maybe then, you can make consumers choose your brand as their calmness in this noisy, ad-full world.