Having an online presence is more important than ever. Showcasing your business with an attractive website and researched marketing strategy is the best way to get in front of your target audience. However, doing so without a clear identity can lead to mixed messages and a less powerful presence online.
We’ve put together a list of what you need to do to create a strong brand identity. You’ll learn why it’s so important to have a consistent message for your business. By implementing these techniques, your company will get noticed and be remembered.
What Is Your Brand Identity?
Your brand identity tells your customer who you are in a way that’s easily remembered. Imagine a big, yellow ‘M’. Does that image make you think of a particular company? If you’re thinking of McDonalds, then you’ve successfully distinguished them based on their brand identity.
To achieve this effect for your own company, think about what can make you memorable. You’ll want to incorporate your name, an effective logo and colours that are consistent with your brand.
Make sure that you use these in every place that your business appears. This includes your shopfront (if you have one), website, social media, digital advertisements, paper advertisements and business cards. The list goes on indefinitely, depending on where your brand has a presence.
The Benefits Of A Strong Brand Identity
- You create a relationship between your brand and your message
- Your business will be more memorable and recognisable
- You’ll stand out from your competitors with a strong, unique brand identity
- Customers are more likely to spend more money with a brand they recognise
- Knowledge of your brand spreads more quickly when you’re easy to identify
Let’s break down the process for how you should put together your brand identity.
Step One: Define Your Message
Every company should have a goal. Whether it’s to provide the best plumbing services in your area or make solar panels affordable to all, make your message clear. You should be able to define your brand by your core services, your values and what makes you different.
For everything you post online, you should keep your message in mind. Decide what voice you want your company to have. Your tone might be very serious or a bit tongue-in-cheek. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that a casual voice can be profane – you’ll be penalised for this. Always be professional, even if you’re using an informal tone. Whatever your company’s voice is, be consistent with it throughout all the platforms that you’re on.
Step Two: Choose Your Name & Logo
If you haven’t already decided on a business name, make sure you pick a good one. Your name should be relevant to what you do and who you are. It’s good to have a name that’s simple to pronounce, so people are more likely to remember it.
If the business name you’ve decided on is quite long, consider whether you’d like your logo to be a symbol or abbreviation. You can compare your company to others in your sector if you’re unsure whether an abbreviated version of your business name is necessary. If you’re thinking about using a symbol, make sure that its connection to your brand identity is clear.
Step Three: Competitor Research
If you can’t decide how you want your brand identity to look, take a look at competitors in your industry. Make notes about colours, shapes and styles that you like. You’ll get a good idea of what looks effective and what doesn’t. Then you can use this information to come up with a unique brand identity, so yours stands out from the crowd.
Step Four: Market Research
A really important thing to consider is the market that you’re in. A luxury label should not look the same as a bargain brand. People have preconceived ideas about what personality your brand has based on what it looks like. Therefore, you’ll need to make sure that the message you’re sending to your customers is the right one.
To really get to know your customers, you could conduct surveys or polls to find out what they like and might associate your brand with. Getting your customers involved in the creation of your brand’s identity is a great way to build your relationship with them and make them feel like a part of your journey.
Step Five: Increase Your Presence
Social media is a great way to reach your audience and maintain an online presence. Different platforms will reach different markets. They’ll also suit different types of content. Most businesses should be on Facebook and LinkedIn. You might also see benefit from having a YouTube and Instagram account if you produce lots of images and videos. As well as these, if your audience is younger internet users, TikTok and Snapchat could help you to reach them.
Keep track of all of your social media accounts and try to update your content regularly. Always use the voice that you’ve defined for your company when creating social media content, so that your brand identity is consistent.
Step Six: Proudly Show Your Associations
Many contractors will have accreditations from places like Checkatrade. Some companies will also work with charities. If your business has any associations like this, be sure to display them proudly! The people that you work with are a reflection of the values of your company. If your audience have already had positive interactions with the companies that you work with, they’ll be more likely to trust you and want to use your services.
Step Seven: Protect Your Brand Identity
Once you’ve established your online presence with a solid brand identity, you’ll want to ensure that nobody’s going to copy you. You can register your trade mark for the name of your product or service. This gives you the right to take legal action against anyone who copies your branding. You only need to renew your trade mark every 10 years, so it’s well worth investing in right from the start.
The Impact Of A Good Brand Identity
Written by Alice Farley
