At first contact with a person, you get to know their name, you see what they look like and when you converse with them, you learn of their values, mode of communication and other important things that make up their person. All of these give you an idea of who they are and when next you come across them, you can identify them.
So it is with brand identity.
Brand identity is how a customer can pick a brand out of the sea of competition.
Defining your brand’s identity is an important role and should be treated as such by every team member. This is because the customer’s perception of the brand depends on it. Every interaction with the brand should leave a mark. You need your brand to have a different outlook and feeling from your competition. A good way to start is to indoctrinate the team. Get them to buy the vision and watch them sell it.
“Why is it so important?”
Brand Identity inspires the customer’s trust in every product of the brand. A returning customer will be at peace with getting a new product from your brand if they are able to identify it with previous products they love.
A solid brand identity helps the brand stand out from the competition. A good example is how the Apple sign leaves you without a doubt that the product you’re getting is an Apple product. So whether it’s a Macbook or an Airpod, you’re not in doubt that it’s from your favourite brand.
Your brand identity keeps your loyal customers coming back to not only patronise but recommend your products/ services to others.
Contrary to popular opinion, branding is not just dependent on the logo. Although it is an intricate part of it, it goes beyond that. It is a good thing for customers to fish out the brand by merely seeing the logo however, the brand identity is formed by other things including:
Brand name
Most often than not, this is the first thing that intrigues potential customers. It gives the first impression and should be treated with importance. A catchy name would stick to the minds of people. To achieve that, the brand name should tell a compelling story. If you’re struggling with this aspect of branding, reach out to professionals versed with this, give them your options and have them work with you to birth something that would steal the heart of customers.
Mode and style of communication
Your brand’s voice should be similar across every communication platform. How do you intend to communicate with customers? That mode of communication should be fixed and replicated. You don’t want to sound very Nigerian in your newsletters -lacing your sentences with her slang, and then sound American on social media. Customers should be able to identify the brand just from hearing from them. It’s worth noting that businesses can take on a conversational approach to communication. The key is to retain that mode and stick to it.
Logo and design pattern
We can all agree that the logo is an important part of the branding process. This should be finely done by a designer who understands your brand story. The logo should tell a story. It should give us an idea of what to expect from the brand before we get its product or service. Other things to consider when designing for the brand are the colours and fonts used. Apart from aesthetic values, colours have their meanings. A cheerful orange can give off happiness as blue can give off calmness. Colours should be considered carefully to suit the brand before they are adopted. Colours and font sizes if used appropriately and repeatedly, can be associated by the customer with the brand.
Customer relations
Emphasis should be given to creating a specific pattern for customer relations. How your customers are addressed, how you communicate with them and how they are catered to enforce how they see your brand and in return, how they treat it.
Putting all of these together gives the customer a tailored experience that determines how they perceive your brand. To get the most out of it, you need to consult with branding experts who will hold your hand and build your brand’s identity.
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