What is brand identity and how can businesses benefit from that? In this article, we will define brand identity, and share how you can create a brand identity step by step.
Defining brand identity
A brand identity is made up of your brand image and brand visuals.
Namely, what your brand says (your slogan), what your values are, the benefits of your product, how you communicate your product, and what you want people to feel when they interact with you. And visual elements of your brand like logo.
Why is brand identity so crucial?
A brand is a company's fame and reputation. The more people know about your business and the better your reputation is, the stronger your brand is. Fame depends on how useful your product is and your promo. And reputation is created by fulfilled promises, quality products, and services.
The importance of brand visual identity is easy to explain: a good brand builds a loyal audience and increases added value. If people like a product, their brand loyalty grows. They will buy it again and recommend it to friends. If there is no brand, then you will have to enter a price war, which will be won by the one with the lowest costs. That’s why building product identity can be perceived as a long-term investment.
Online branding is the process of creating and promoting a sustainable business image on the Internet.
Benefits of online branding:
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wide coverage;
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building product identity online provides high-quality interaction with the audience;
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allows you to control processes, use an individual approach and personalization by tracking interests and preferences;
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technologies make it possible to establish components of identity through large multimedia platforms, integrations, branded games, viral videos
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content is instantly spread through blogs, forums, social networks, and other websites;
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forums and social media help marketers establish components of identity by using the forums’ discussions, where the target audience is discussing their real problems;
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quick feedback comes from potential buyers, with the help of which you can evaluate or predict the result.
As we see, it is easier to define brand identification for online communication compared to traditional offline campaigns. Moreover, the effectiveness of online branding is several times higher. This is due to differences in the principles of information perception and the unlimited possibilities of the online communication environment.
How to create brand identity
It takes just a few steps
1. Build buyer persona
You should have a clear understanding of what the people your customers are, how they live, what they want, what is interesting for them. Here are basic questions you should think about while creating a customer persona:
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age;
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sex;
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place of residence;
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marital status, number of children;
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industry of employment;
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the monthly income;
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profession, related problems;
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desires and dreams;
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fears;
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what social networks they use.
2. Define your brand mission
Company brand description is weak without the brand mission. Why does your company exist? Why are you here besides money? All great companies use their mission to stand out. For example, Nike has this: "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world". They use this statement in various marketing campaigns on different platforms, online and offline, to make people remember about Nike when they are thinking about sport and athletes.
People usually buy not your product, but what it gives them: Emotions or status. Look at Apple, they have cool technology and design, but people usually buy status, not a smartphone. That’s the corporate identity design meaning: People are willing to pay more for that. If you develop a strong branding concept, your average check will grow exponentially.
3. Analysis of your competitors
In order to stand out, you have to know among whom. A well-crafted competitor analysis can help you make a competent USP (Unique Selling Proposition), highlight a unique advantage of your product to entice customers. Here are criteria by which you should analyze your competitors:
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direct or indirect competitor;
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website (convenience, design, conveying meanings, strengths);
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offer, product;
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aspects of brand language;
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mission and how competently they broadcast it;
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social networks/blogs, whether they post content or not;
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how they are promoting, which channels they are using;
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their strengths/weaknesses.
For more information on how to analyze your competitors, please refer to our “Competitive advantage” glossary article.
4. Define your main advantage
A lot of companies on the market are bigger than yours, with bigger marketing budgets. But still, you probably have something that makes your offer more attractive. You must determine why your customer should buy from you. What do you offer that others don't?
For example, it can be:
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faster delivery;
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better design;
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the convenience of use;
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a new approach that other companies have not thought of;
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a creative approach that no one else can repeat.
5. Work on your slogan and logo
The main identifiers by which the consumer distinguishes the product are its name, logo, and slogan. There are no faceless brands.
The professional choice of a suitable name for a brand will largely determine its further success. After all, the name is precisely the most important attribute that evokes the emotions and associations necessary for the brand in the consumer.
The development of the name requires preliminary preparation: A thorough analysis of the target audience and the specifics of the market, assessment of competitors' naming. And only then there is the bulk of variants carried out and checking them for originality and patent purity. There are factors that must be taken into account in the naming process: This is the language and tone of writing and the country of operation of the brand, its cultural characteristics.
The creation of slogans can be distinguished as a separate type of advertising art. Successful slogans become a part of a person's cultural environment, forming the image of the company, and the success of a brand can be determined by how well the audience remembers its slogan. A correctly selected advertising motto clearly expresses the brand idea, attracting attention with its brightness and simplicity.
A logo is a mark or symbol that represents an idea, organization, or product. Such a unique symbol helps to stand out from the crowd and promote the brand. The logo is an important visual symbol of the business and provides a symbolic representation of the values of the company and its products. A quality logo is attractive and memorable.
