Do you know how important branding is to your business?
Having a solid and recognizable brand will bring you more customers and help you retain the customers that you already have. Building a brand identity, though, isn’t always easy.
You want to make sure that your business’s brand identity is unique, bold, and easy to spot in a crowd. Lucky for you, we want to help. Keep reading for our brief guide on how to build a brand identity that works.
What Is a Brand Identity?
A brand identity is an overall persona that can be associated with your brand. Think of a popular major company for some examples.
Let’s take McDonalds, for instance.
What do you think of when you see a red and yellow pairing, a big yellow M, or even a fast-food image in general? If you’re like most people, McDonalds is the answer. Why is that?
McDonalds has spent a lot of time building up a recognizable image. Customers know what to expect from them and they know how to identify them in a crowd. Their brand identity is based around affordable (albeit unhealthy) food, classic burgers and fries, a rounded M, and two bold colors that pop.
Think of all of the companies that you associate with their colors, mascots, slogans, and more. You can identify them from a single glance.
You need to do this as well if you want your business to be memorable.
Why Does It Matter?
As we said, a good brand identity makes your company memorable. If you want customers to come back to you, you want them to remember you.
Good branding also helps you establish better brand trust and customer loyalty, especially if your brand’s voice is strong and friendly. It’s better for you to keep customers than it is to have to find new ones (although both are important). This brand trust matters.
How to Build a Brand Identity: The Basics
There are a few things that you can incorporate into your future brand identity. Some are more recognizable than others, but all of them are important and useful.
If you want to build brand recognition, take the following pieces of brand identity into account and use them to your advantage.
Your Brand Voice
Establishing a brand voice is one of the easiest and quickest ways to build a brand identity. You don’t need a designer or savvy marketing skills to get started.
This voice should be consistent across platforms. It can be the voice that you use in your advertisements, the voice that you use on social media, and even the voice that your employees and yourself use with customers.
To be clear, a “voice” isn’t literally a voice. It’s the tone that your company sets when communicating with customers.
A good brand voice is friendly and personable, drawing in and keeping customers with a positive attitude.
Some brands choose to go in unique directions with their voices. For example, the Denny’s Twitter account is full of strange and funny things to better draw in Gen Z and Millenial customers. Absurdist humor is part of their brand voice.
Find a brand voice that works for you based on your niche and target demographics.
A Good Color Scheme
Every good business needs a color scheme that people can associate with it.
You don’t need to decorate your business with these colors (although you’re welcome to). You should use them on your website, business cards, and any advertising materials.
Over time, your customers will associate these colors with your brand.
It’s almost impossible to find a color scheme that no one else has used before, but try to avoid colors that other local businesses or businesses within your niche have used. You don’t want someone to confuse you with another business.
A Mascot or Symbol (or Both)
Some businesses benefit from mascots, while others will look less professional with them. You have to keep your target demographics in mind when you’re making this decision.
If you choose a mascot, make it relevant to your brand. While you can choose something totally off the wall (think of the McDonalds example again: what was Grimace anyway?) you’ll have an easier time with something quirky but easy to associate with your brand.
If you’re choosing a symbol, keep it simple but memorable. Simple designs are more recognizable from a glance.
Product Consistency
One of the more crucial parts of your brand identity is in the consistency of your products and services.
If you have a great look and voice but your customers have no idea what to expect from you, your brand identity isn’t working. You want to have good quality control and clear brand intentions.
These intentions can change over time. You may change or expand your target demographics or even expand your offered services, but these shifts should be gradual and smooth so you don’t disrupt the brand that you’ve established.
A Catchy Slogan or Name
Have you ever heard a slogan that stays in your head?
While jingles used to be popular for brands, slogans are far easier and just as memorable. Your slogan should represent your business and it should be in your brand’s voice.
It might have a rhyme or good alliteration so it can stick in the heads of your customers.
A good brand name is also important. Single-word names are great as long as you aren’t matching another company. You don’t want a name that’s too long or too complicated for your customers to reasonably remember.
Your Brand Identity Matters
Knowing how to build a brand identity is crucial if you want to establish your business and gain more customers. Your brand should be memorable; you want your customers to keep coming back!
Once you have a solid brand identity set your marketing will be smoother and easier and you’ll be funneling customers your way in no time.
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