Branding is crucial to your business and how you interact with your customers. The brand is often the thing that dictates the tone of your interactions with them, not to mention some of the reputation or preconceptions that they bring when they first engage with said brand. Of course, it can play a major role in getting them to engage with your business in the first place. If you understand the importance of your brand, then it can be vital to make sure that it’s not missing any of the key ingredients, as well.
Here, we’re going to look at what, exactly, makes up a brand.
The identity
First of all, you have to think about what, exactly, is at the core of the brand. What is it that you’re trying to communicate about the company? The answer isn’t the same for every business. For some, the brand identity is all about the products and services they provide, and showcasing them in the most honest and professional way.
For others, it’s about the values behind the business, such as diversity, eco-friendliness, discretion, and so on. Sometimes, it’s as good as a really solid unique selling point. You need to discover your brand identity as it’s going to influence your choices in every element that follows after the fact. You want to make sure that your messaging is consistent with the identity at all times so that your customers and clients can build trust and familiarity with the business.
The name
It might seem like a relatively simple thing, but the truth is that the name of a business holds power. When you are naming a corporation, not only do you want to make sure that you have a unique name that stands apart from the others on the market.
You want to make sure that if it cannot describe what it is that you provide, it at least gives a good idea of what your brand is about and conveys its attitude properly. When you’re picking a name, you’re also looking at website domains, social media accounts, trademarks, and so on, so you have to be careful in your choice.
The logo
Of course, naturally following after the name is to make sure that you have a logo that’s just as good at standing out, yet conveying what it is that you want people to know about your business at a glance. There are many different types of logo design that you can go for, as well as different things you can communicate through a brand.
Some businesses make their purpose or products clear in a brand by showing some approximation of them, others go for distinct shapes or images that better stand out. You can even go for the initials of your business, but it’s how you style them that matters.
The imagery
The logo isn’t the only piece of imagery that your business is going to make use of, either. If you have a website or other forms of visual media that you’re using to market the business, then you might want other images to help it visually pop. What should those images be and what best conveys what your business does and the value that it brings to the table?
If you’re selling specific types of products, in particular, then you should invest in good product photography to help them stand out and give the impression that you want. Sometimes, you want images of people using your product, or even images that are only related in spirit to what it is that you provide.But don’t forget that moving imagery or video implementation should always use the best video production company to ensure your brand is correctly represented, and elegantly captured.
The colors
There are some companies that have made such good use of their branding that you can see the distinct colors of the brand when you think of them. There’s only one soft drink that comes immediately to mind when you think of red and white, for instance. You might not immediately reach that level of palette recognizability, but the point stands that finding the color scheme that you keep for your business is going to play a big role.
Even when you don’t have space for the images, logos, or other key descriptors that help your business stand out, you can make sure that you always make use of the colors that are distinct to your brand.
The website
Having a website is foundational for businesses looking to expand and operate online. The website is, in part, a combination of many of the brand components mentioned above, but it also brings something very unique that stands outside of those elements as well: the user experience.
From how your website brings traffic to itself to the details of how the customers make their journey throughout the pages, you have to make sure that your website is designed to provide a smooth and pain-free experience of engaging with the visitor. This is usually best done by considering the intent of the visitor and making sure that it’s easy for them to meet that intent without too much in the way of delay or interruption.
The language that you use
Through every piece of marketing, from your social media posts to your emails to the copy on your website, you’re likely to be using the spoken or written word to communicate about your business. To that end, you should think carefully about the language that you’re using, as well.
For instance, a lot of businesses will have certain aspects or qualities that they try to reinforce by using language associated with them, whether it’s a sense of power, prestige, professionalism, or something else. You might also have words that you never want to use to avoid unfortunate or misleading associated with your brand. Developing a brand lexicon can make sure that you have a consistent voice, even if multiple different people are writing your marketing.
It might seem relatively simple to apply the above qualities and assets to your company, but you shouldn’t underestimate the harm you can do if any one of them is missing. Check yours to see if it has all of the above.
If you’d like to start building your own website and online business, we have a complete guide to help you out!
