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Brand strategy is more than landing new consumers; it’s about finding your sense of place within your industry. Many people think branding is just about colors and a logo. And this is a piece of it. However, branding also involves creating a strong image that establishes credibility, trust and influences consumers to support your business.
Branding and marketing work together to grow your brand. The stronger your branding, the better the chances your marketing efforts will succeed.
Your company’s branding sets the stage for your brand identity. Your target customers will notice your brand by being strategic and innovative in your digital and in-person efforts.
Ready to improve your branding? This post has everything you need to know, so let’s dive in!
Why You Should Care About Branding
It’s all in the numbers, so let’s look at some data. When it comes to your brand image, trust and authenticity are essential. 46% of consumers will pay MORE for a brand they trust over a competing brand. And 88% of consumers say authenticity is more important than anything else when choosing a brand to support.
Branding is not only the first impression consumers have of your brand. It’s a lasting impression.
When consumers feel an emotional connection with your brand, they become loyal. The right branding builds this emotional connection that your business needs to grow.
Consumers have a lot of options. If you don’t want to lose them to a competitor, your branding must be memorable and convey authority.
Elements of Great Branding
Analyze the following elements of impactful branding to ensure that your branding builds the trust and authenticity required to succeed.
- Communicate your values: Going back to brand trust, consumers want to learn about your values and vision for your brand so that they can relate. Know who you are, what you believe, and what you DON’T believe. Your difference can unlock opportunities for new brand positioning. Just see what it did for Instacart and DoorDash.
- Be concise: Craft a brief brand story that represents not just what you do but why and how you do it. Keep it short and to the point so that when your consumers are researching your brand, they immediately understand your value. A good rule of thumb is to keep it at 10 words or less.
- Visual identity: Keep your visuals consistent on all of your channels. This includes colors, logos, and graphics. You want your brand to be easily recognized when consumers check out your website and social media. Keep your visuals consistent in the content you publish and your email marketing as well.
- Partner with ambassadors: Partnering with influencers and consumers can do wonders to promote your brand identity. Be sure to seed them with the right visuals and talking points so that the content they publish is on brand.
- Refresh your website: Your website is your “digital storefront,” and you only have a few seconds to make someone want to explore your site. Be sure to continuously update your website and experiment with messaging and visuals to see what resonates with your audience.
- Create a brand style guide: Document things like your brand’s color palette, different versions of your logo, your key messaging, your slogan, etc., to ensure that everyone is on board with your image. This will come in handy for both your team members and any outside talent like graphic designers that you hire. Here is an excellent resource for when you’re ready to create your brand style guide.
- Willingness to re-brand: Some brands start strong and think their branding is set. However, industries are always evolving, and your branding needs to evolve with it. Branding can quickly become outdated.
And Then There is “Personal Branding”
Consumers crave a human connection. Give it to them by investing in your personal brand.
Promoting C-level members of your brand and ensuring they’re active on social media will develop that human connection with your brand and your target consumers.
Say you want yourself or your CEO to represent your brand actively. There are a bunch of “shoulds” that you keep in mind. You should have an active social media presence. You should guest post on like-minded publications. You should apply for speaking engagements. You should send personalized emails. You should do digital PR to land webinars and get quoted in articles. At the end of the day, you should promote faces from your company just as you promote your brand.
Thought leadership is everything.
Conclusion: Do I Really Need to Be Concerned With Branding?
Some brands report increasing revenue by at least 24% when they improve their branding. Alternatively, brands are losing to their competitors every day because their branding is weak or outdated.
Branding is all about establishing a connection and a recognizable brand across various mediums to establish trust and credibility. Is your branding working for you?
If you are ready to improve your branding today, you’re in luck because it’s one of Overit’s specialties, and you can read more about this service offering and sign up for a free consultation here.
