Are you re-branding or just starting your business? Developing a solid foundation for your brand is critical to the overall impact it makes on your company. Branding can change how people perceive you, it can drive new business, help your product or service stand out from your competitors, and increase brand awareness.
Here are some key elements to help you create a strong foundation for your brand.
Know who are you
Your brand needs to know who they are, who they want to be and how they want to be perceived. Your brand should reflect the personality and values of your business, drawing attention to your distinct characteristics. The reason customers stay loyal to a brand is because of a brand’s personality and values. These values reflect what a company stands for, what their morals are, their principles, their beliefs. The best brands weave their own values into an audience experience, ones that resonate with the audiences own values and personality. It’s all about connection. When you successfully create a connection with your audience, many of them will stay loyal to you for life! This loyalty will help you increase your overall profits and help build a solid foundation of brand promoters.
Know your audience
Take the time to learn who you want to attract with your product or service, so you can build a brand experience that connects with the right audience. Knowing your audience is a critical aspect of your brand’s success. Your audience is the group of people you need to reach with your message, and the most likely to buy your product or service. Start by asking yourself, who is the person most apt to be interested in your product or service? What’s their story?
What is their demographic? Their gender, age, location, ethnic background, income, education level, mobility, home ownership, marital status, number of children.
What are some of their characteristics? Their values, attitudes, activities, hobbies, motivations and opinions.
What are their needs, goals, objectives?
What can you provide, in your product or service, that will help your audience meet those needs?
The more specifically you understand your audience, the more effectively you can reach and connect with them. This connection or relationship is what will set you apart from the competition.
Know your competition
Know who your competition is. You need to look at your competition through the eyes of the consumer. What good and bad experiences are these consumers having with your competitor? Observe your competitors personality, messaging, language, customer journey and experiences.
Realize what they do and then craft a message around what your brand does differently. Build your entire brand messaging around that differentiator.
Know your brand’s voice and message
Your brand message is the expression of your brand. It’s the way your brand communicates its story, personality and value proposition. It reflects how your product or service solves, or improves, your audiences problems. It conveys the benefits your audience can expect and why they should buy from you, over your competition?
It’s your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services.
It’s what makes an audience relate to your brand by inspiring them, persuading them, motivating them, and ultimately making them want to buy your product.
Consistent brand messaging, that reflects both your company’s values and speaks to your audience, is essential to creating a brand that customers can connect with on an emotional level, a core ingredient in building brand loyalty.
Customers want to know that you understand them and that you fit with their lifestyle. Customers want brands to feel friendly, comfortable and trustworthy. Like a feeling of, yes, this is me, you get me, you understand!
Put yourself in your customers shoes. Think of what they might need right now and how you can help them. Let your messaging reflect that!
Know your brand’s look and feel
Your brand identity, or look and feel, is the visual representation of your voice and message. It’s your story, represented through your logo, colour, typography, photography and illustration. These visual elements communicate who you are and what you stand for.
Keep it consistent
Consistency is key, and the number one rule in branding your business. Your logo, colour scheme, website, print material, voice, customer service, everything needs to match. Every interaction customers have with your brand should express your brand promises and values.
Interacting with your audience through a consistent brand voice and aesthetic, is a major step towards letting them get to know you as an organization. When they know you, they will identify with you and your purpose. And when they feel, like they know you and can trust you, they will be more likely to purchase from you and more likely to recommend you to their peers. It’s a strong step in the right direction to attracting new customers.
If you want to set your business apart from others, consider the key brand elements above. Take the time to research your audience, think about your unique brand identity, know who your competition is and translate those elements to your customers to build loyalty and see your business grow.