22 Mar Why Do I Need a Strong Brand Identity?
A strong brand identity is key to a successful business
Your brand identity is about who you are as a business not what you sell. Whether you are selling a product or a service, the one thing you have in common is you are selling your brand. Establishing a compelling brand identity as part of your marketing strategy is one of the most important things you can do when starting a business.
Your brand identity is your shop window
You’re walking down your local high street and you see a fantastically dressed shop window. It stops you in your tracks. You think ‘wow!’ You’re immediately captivated. You are getting visual cues to tempt you to go inside and explore. This business has got it right! In a second, it has portrayed the right image, inspired, emotionally connected with you and planted a seed that there could be something inside you need. You want to discover more and see if the experience is enhanced when you enter.
It is a visual connection defining your business
This is why your brand identity is your shop window. It is how we present ourselves physically and emotionally to our target market, making us instantly recognisable. It’s an emotional connection that showcases your character and what you value as a company, revealing your passion, personality and authenticity. It will become a catalyst for customers to explore your brand, products and services in more detail. A strong brand identity forges a long-lasting connection to building customer loyalty and lifetime value…not forgetting growing your business. It’s the platform onto which everything else becomes established.
Get it wrong and you will disappoint, confuse and alienate. If any of those elements in your visual story don’t match what you stand for as a business and what you communicate in your marketing, then your customers will go elsewhere.
It’s not just your logo…it’s a complete visual identity!
Your logo is but one element of your brand identity. In fact, your logo is the linchpin that holds it all together and makes it recognisable. But your brand identity is not built around a logo alone. Your brand identity takes on a bigger picture, a holistic visual view that tells your entire story. It is also very complex and is an interaction between lots of different elements, including some of these below.
• Tone of voice and typography
• Character and personality
• Colour pallet and imagery
• Ethos and business philosophy
• Values you are proud of
• Your unique story proposition
Keep it simple
Don’t over complicate your brand identity. Simplicity and consistency are key. The simpler your brand identity is the clearer is the story you are communicating. Keep it consistent and your customers will quickly associate it with what your stand for and remember it is for them. Take a look at Lucidpress.com who have showcased some excellent corporate brand identity examples which tie into their brand stories.