Introduction
With the advent of brands being vital for your business success, this blog is about how do you develop a strong brand identity for your business and its success. Let’s take a look at you go about and your brand to be strong:
1. What Is Brand Identity?
Let’s run through just what brand identity is, its different elements and why it matters to you and your brand.
a) Brand identity definition
Your brand identity is the visual and content/copy that helps to define and shape your brand image that shapes your customers and the marketplaces perception of your company and brand.
b) Branding and identity
Branding is the process and development of your brand identity through strategic planning, design and copywriting, project management and marketing implementation that will help and bring your brand to life.
c) Brand identity elements
Your brand identity is typically composed of your brand name, logo, tagline, color palette, typography, your voice and tone of your brand messaging, brand imagery, photography, and other designed branding elements, where those combined are the foundational elements of your brand identity.
2. Why Does Your Business Need a Strong Brand Identity?
Your business thrives on sales and revenue in order to survive. Having a strong brand identity helps cement your image in the mind of your customers and prospects, and that brand recognition and familiarity engages with them and helps compel them to spend that needed money on your brand, product or service.
3. Steps to Develop a Strong Brand Identity
Let’s take a look at how you go about developing a strong brand identity design:
a) How to create a brand identity:
- Understand your brand strategy: Develop your brand strategy of who you are, what you want to be and who are your targets and how best to brand and position yourselves to appeal to them.
- Know who your targets are: Know who your customers and target are, what they think, like and dislike and what might appeal to them.
- Messaging platform: Map out your differences, value points and value proposition that is going to speak to and appeal to those you want to appeal to.
- Logo Design: This is where you get to have some fun and start to develop what your brand identity looks like, starting first what your logo looks like.
- Craft your tagline: Put together a clear and concise couple of words or very small sentence that is punchy, quick and appealing.
- Color Palette: Color can convey feelings that you want your customers and targets to feel about your brand.
- Brand imagery: This is where you get to paint a visual picture of what your brand looks and feels like utilizing imagery, photography and design elements.
- Website: This is a medium that is very public and open for the marketplace to get a good look at your brand identity and where all the brand elements make it come to life.
- Social Media: This is one of the most noticeable and recognizable channels that people get a very good glimpse of your brand identity and just what you stand for.
b) Brand identity examples:
- This is a powerful tool that luxury brands like Coach, Gucci, Fendi, Hermes use very, very well., We all know their brand logo and are very familiar with what their brand looks like and why so many people want and their brand and products.
- Building your brand: You may go about building your own brand or choose to work with a Branding agency for small business that can help you develop your brand expeditiously and precision and craftsmanship.
4. Tips for Maintaining and Evolving Your Brand Identity
Here are a couple of ideas to keep your brand fresh and evolving:
a) Brand Identity guide
Make sure as a part of your brand development you put together brand guidelines to make sure you are staying true to your brand and what your identity looks like.
b) Yearly review
Review your brand and all its elements and make sure it is on point, resonates, fresh and appealing.
c) Competitor review
Stay current on what your top competitors are doing, so you stay ahead of your competition.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Building Brand Identity
Make sure to avoid these common mistakes:
a) Design and forget
You can’t afford to design your brand and forget it, your competitors sure won’t, they will surpass and beat you.
b) Copycat
Don’t copy what others are doing, be original, unique, standout and communicate that you are the top brand.
c) Putting it off
We see this all the time where executives keep putting their brand identity off because they believe in branding, keep doing that until your company and brand is dead or dying.
6. Measuring the Success of Your Brand Identity
Common ways to measure your brand identity is to track website visits, social media engagement, leads generated, brand recognition, etc. You can also take a look at where well received your pitches are going and how well accepted your brand is. If you need help with your brand or pitch deck, please let us know, we at Brand Iron are pitch deck experts and we can make your pitch pack a punch and produce results.
Conclusion
It’s time to take control of your brand identity and make sure your brand stands out, engages and appeals to your audience and is producing results. If you need help with your brand identity or pitch deck, make sure you reach out to Brand Iron, your Rebranding agency for impactful brands, decks and results.
