To be successful, especially in the online and e-commerce world, every business should invest time and resources in building a solid and well-structured Brand Identity.
Brand Identity: what is it? Brand identity is one of the fundamental concepts of marketing and indicates the way a company presents itself to its customers. Building the corporate Brand Identity is essential for any type of business: in fact, customers will inevitably be influenced by the perception they have of the brand during the entire purchasing process.
The Brand Identity is created and communicated at all times: through products, promotional messages, online communications and customer feedback. The ultimate purpose of Brand Identity is to create Brand awareness, or to convey to the consumer feelings of safety, quality and reliability simply by viewing the brand.
A well established Brand Identity on the market is the first ally to be successful.
Let’s find out together what are the characterizing elements of a brand’s identity and how to build a winning one.
Brand Identity: the 5 distinctive elements
The Brand Identity is characterized by some essential elements to determine the message that consumers will usually approach the brand during the purchase process:
1. Brand name
The brand name is what is most easily memorized by customers. For this reason, when choosing a brand name it is essential to think above all about how and how easily it could be remembered.
2. Logo and colors
The logo is the distinctive element of a brand par excellence: it is the set of graphic symbols that visually identify the business and differentiate it from the competition. The logo generally consists of two complementary parts: the logotype , that is the graphic and pronounceable sign, and the pictogram , that is the symbolic and visual part. The logo also stands out from the competition through the colors: in fact, the choice of colors is essential to arouse the right emotions and sensations and lead customers to trust the brand.
3. Slogan
The slogan, more commonly known as a payoff, is a short phrase associated with the logo. The purpose of this sentence is to fully communicate company values in order to make consumers understand the brand message completely. The payoff must evoke sensations and emotions able to remain indelibly in the minds of customers. Some examples? Just Do It Nike or Think Different Apple.
4. Vision and company mission
Brand Identity inevitably depends on two very important internal company factors:
- Corporate vision, that is the set of objectives that the company sets itself and the basic idea that gives life to all the sales, communication and marketing activities of the brand;
- Company mission, that is the set of practical activities implemented in order to achieve the sales, communication and marketing objectives set by the brand.
5. Packaging and product attributes
The attributes of individual company products and packaging are fundamental elements to create a solid Brand Identity. Indeed, the exterior of a product is indispensable to create a good impression for consumers. In other words, the wrapping acts as a mediator between the product and the customer: a colorful, tidy and resistant package will almost certainly be more captivating than a careless one.
Creating your brand identity in just 3 simple steps
Here are the 3 essential tips to build a winning Brand Identity:
1. Identify your target audience
To understand how to best structure the Brand Identity of your brand, it is essential to analyze the target audience you want to address. To present your brand at its best and communicate a positive and performing message, it will be necessary to carry out an initial market analysis. In fact, a brand with products designed for a young clientele will necessarily have to present itself differently from a luxury brand aimed at a more niche clientele.
Thanks to an initial analysis you will be able to know the real needs of your potential customers, define personalized and particularly effective communications and messages and understand how to distinguish yourself from the competition by enhancing the unique characteristics of your brand.
2. Use your logo and name to make yourself recognized
Brand Identity inevitably passes through Visual Branding: in other words, the identity of a brand is strongly influenced by its visual part, that is the logo and the name. Logo and name are the two most important elements of the brand, the ones that consumers will remember at first sight.
Precisely for this reason, it is essential to pay particular attention to the use of the logo and name in every corporate and promotional communication. Just think of big brands such as Coca Cola, Samsung or Apple: each message is characterized by the same colors, the presence of the logo and a remarkable basic simplicity.
Just like large international brands, even small businesses should use logos, signs and colors to communicate immediately and create their Brand Identity online and offline.
3. Define your brand’s tone of voice with customers
The last step to define a successful Brand Identity is to plan the communications and messages to be shared with customers. The Tone of Voice is a fundamental part of the brand identity and for this reason, it must be defined in the best way to communicate effectively with customers.
An example? A shop specializing in youth articles will have to know how to plan visually effective messages within Social Networks, a company operating in the B2B field will have to build more professional and detailed communications suitable for attracting attention during events or meetings.
Building your brand identity is not rocket science. With careful deliberation, you can build a successful brand identity that your customers identify with and rely on for years to come.
Author Bio
Name- Raunak Pandey
Bio- Raunak is a Mechanical Engineer by qualification & Marketer by passion. He is the founder of Maiden Stride, a leading digital marketing company that provides world-class search engine marketing services and website & application development.