The importance of brand identity
When it comes to your digital brand, there’s a little more to it than logos and tag lines
When starting out in business, it’s easy to think that your branding is done and dusted once you’ve settled on a logo and a tag line. But truth be told, there’s a lot more to it than that.
A strong and strategic brand is your overall identity as a business; it’s who you are. It nurtures your growth and business development and paves the path ahead for success. From a brand, stems everything else.
It can be an ever-evolving thing, because as your business grows and evolves, so too does your brand. Ensuring you have the basics right first and foremost will ensure you’re talking to the right people - your people - the people most likely to convert into that magical word all businesses love: leads.
What are some of the basics for developing a brand strategy? Let’s take a look.
Brand purpose: communicating what you want to achieve as a business, not just what you have to sell is important. All business owners want freedom of work and good ROI, but that’s not something clients necessarily care about. A good way to figure this one out is to ask yourself, “what do I want to help my clients achieve?”
Brand values: similar to brand purpose, your values are the pillars of what your brand stands for. Being able to clearly communicate the core values of your business will allow prospective clients to identify and relate to these, which in turn will help to drive brand decisions. Keep in mind your business is unique to you - what values set you apart from your competitors?
Brand positioning: this is where you define and hone in on what makes you different, and what specific benefits your business offers to clients to solve their problems. Keep in mind there are both basic benefits that will exist as a matter of course, but beyond that you will need to define the ways in which your business stands apart from others in your industry.
i.e. A basic benefit of dishwashing liquid is that it must clean dishes, that is a non-negotiable benefit that all dishwashing liquid brands must have as a matter of course. But what specific benefit sets this dishwashing liquid apart from others in the market? Is it a more concentrated formula, so less is used for more washes? Is it a pure plant based formula that is environmentally friendly?
By starting with the basics above, and building on these through personas, targeted audiences, brand voice and tone, you will begin the foundation of your brand identity. This is then the identity that guides all of your marketing activity - from content, website, printed collateral, social and advertising. With a strong, strategic brand in place, you are forming a cohesive identity that will grow your business.