A good many small businesses struggle with this issue. Brand identity is important for a number of reasons, but a lot of times the determining factor for whether you have a brand identity problem or not comes with a loss of leads, conversions, traffic and engagement on your social media profiles and even your website.
So how can you fix this problem? And why is it so important for businesses both big and small to have a strong brand identity game in order to slay the competition and grow?
Today, we're going to explore the ins and outs of brand identity, as well as why it's vital and how you can create a strong brand identity that will defy the test of time, space and the internet.
Ready to get started? Let's dive in.
What is a Brand Identity?
Your brand identity. It's what we call the group of visuals (or all of them, if you're tying everything together, which is actually a fabulous strategy) that make up the main elements of your brand. a.k.a, your logo, your cover/header, profile picture, brand colors, etc.
Why is it so Important to Have a Brand Identity?
You know how we see the colors, mascots or similar logos that make up our favorite brands and an image pops up in our minds. Maybe it's an experience we had with the brand, (either good or bad) or perhaps it's a favorite thing we bought or service we were provided that really changed our perspective. Now, permanently, that good or bad experience will be associated with that logo and with those particular colors until something more, shall we say, impactful comes along and makes it a distant memory.
Our brand colors, our logos, our cover photos and headers, the visual elements we add to our social media profiles and even our websites...all of these things work together to put on a performance for our audience and if we do a good job, the audience will associate positive feelings and all those wonderful warm and fuzzies with our brand and it's colors. If not, either the experience will pass through their minds without a second thought, OR, in a worse case scenario, they'll be associating negative feelings and emotions with your brand and it's colors.
And this is why there is so much power within your brand identity, and one that should never be taken lightly.
With it playing a starring role on the marketing stage, we wanted to dedicate this post to sharing with you how you can make sure your customers walk away with positive feelings and how to initially create your brand identity.
The Cause and Affect
Remember the meaning of the verb, here. Affect means "to influence" while effect means "to produce a result".
You can't guarantee a result when it comes to marketing. It's all about shooting for the best and getting some kind of result.
Do I sound like I might be bunny-trailing? I'm not. Let me explain:
Your target audience, whoever they may be, want and need something from you. Defining what that is and what the cause and affect of your brand is on your customers, what value you're providing them, is the first step in creating a brand identity that correctly represents who you are and where you're going.
Sometimes this requires more work than you might think. For instance, if you haven't taken the time to define your audience and research what platforms they're on, what they expect from a brand and even simple things like demographics, this is a vital piece of the puzzle.
Do You Have a Logo?
If you don't have one, GET ONE. ASAP. In fact, stop at nothing today until you have a logo ready to go that you can use across platforms to represent your brand.
This is also a fantastic time to choose brand colors. And don't be shy! While fewer, well-paired colors can work wonders, just look at the Google logo and brand colors and how big they have grown. It's not a competition for how few or how many colors you can use, but rather a game of seeking out what best represents you and your company that is also eye-catching and memorable.
Stay Consistent.
Even when it comes to simple things like fonts, staying consistent and, shall we say, simple, (just take hint from some of the largest brands around. (We're looking at you, Apple. And Nike. And yes, even Pepsi and Target!) so that when customers see your colors, your font, your logo....they know it's you immediately and they can distinguish between you and all the rest of the "OK" companies doing the same things you do.
Emotions and Brand Colors Go Hand-in-Hand
You can actually talk to your customers emotions through colors. It's true! And I am providing you a cheat sheet so you can test it our for yourself, or you can check out this study about the impact of colors on marketing by Research Gate.
- Red: passion, anger and embarrassment.
- Orange: playful and energetic.
- Green: greed, disgust and envy.
- Black: sophisticated, elegant
- Brown: reliable and earthy.
- White: Clean, pure feelings.
- Blue: shy, sadness, calm and trust.
- Yellow: friendliness and happiness.
- Pink: the color of love.
- Purple: luxury and romance.
When you know what colors tap into what emotions, you can more easily find out how to best display your brands personality. Are you trustworthy and earthy? Lovely and sophisticated? Maybe pure luxury? It's your canvas. What will you paint it?
Make Adjustments When Necessary
This is true for any successful endeavor, but regularly making edits and adjustments and running tests and checking stats to see what's working and what needs to change is the way of the future.
Don't be afraid of re-branding. And more importantly, don't be afraid of what you can be capable of with a superb brand identity.
When in doubt, just remind yourself that you got this. And nothing is going to change that.
Are You Ready to Get a Brand Identity That Perfectly Defines You?
At Sociallyin, we're always working hard to produce logos, graphics and content that perfectly reflect our customers wishes, needs and dreams through the entirety of the project. If you're ready to jump into the game and start growing and excelling as a business and as an industry professional, Let's Get in Touch, define your brand online, close deals together and MAKE MORE SALES ASAP!
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