Branding, branding, branding...
If you are trying to grow your audience or customer base, you know how much work goes into it. When you're trying to convince people that YOU are the best choice for them, it can be a challenge. You're trying to convince them to part with something. It could be their time or their money - most people don't have a lot of either to spare. This is why creating a brand identity is so important. A brand identity is so much more than just a logo! It's your personality, what sets you apart, and the reason your customers should give up their time or money and spend it on you! When creating a new brand identity there is a lot to consider including your vision, what you offer, your audience, and more! So much, I couldn't really list it in a short blog post!
Below, I've compiled a short list of ways to make your branding work and to grow your audience!
01 - Have a clear idea of who you are as a business
First and foremost you must be clear on 'who' your business is. When I say 'who' I mean how your business presents as a personality to your audience. That's right! businesses have personality! Even huge corporations like Nike have a clear 'personality' that you associate with their brand. Despite having thousands of employees, these big businesses have cultivated this brand identity and control how their audience views them. If you have a good handle on your business personality, this goes a long way to establishing your brand identity and cementing it in the minds of your audience. So think about this and jot down a list of traits you want your audience to associate with your brand.
02 - Be clear about what you offer
When you are creating a social media post, an advertisement, a blog post - basically anything public that is associated with your brand, consider how it promotes the way you serve your audience. This doesn't have to be a blatant selling point every time - most people don't like to feel like they are being sold to. This can just be a connection to what your service or product is, even if that connection is thin. The way I connect to my services - graphic design and branding - is by ensuring that I showcase my abilities through aesthetic and design and that I stay true to my brand. No matter what I'm talking about, you won't catch me putting out a product that doesn't look good!
03 - Know your audience
I cannot stress enough how important it is to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. Let me say it again, know your audience! Who is it that is going to connect with your produce or service? What are they looking for? What do they need that they don't even know they need? Gaining insight into this key detail will enable you to anticipate demand and offer new services, products, or topics to truly connect with your audience.
04 - What makes you stand out?
If you are going to convince your audience you are the person/business they want to listen to, hire, or purchase from, you are going to have to put in some work to make yourself stand out from the competition. No matter what market you're in, I'm almost positive it is flooded with competition. These competitors may seem perfectly experienced, capable, and established - that's where you come in with your distinctive appeal! Everyone has something that makes them a unique and appropriate choice for their customers. You just need to pinpoint what that is and showcase it to your audience.
05 - Consistency
The number one most important detail when establishing a branding identity is to BE CONSISTENT. If you have a clear branding strategy, you should strive to promote it as often as you can. It may start to feel a bit repetitive to you, but to your audience it will begin to feel familiar and establish a clear expectation of what you deliver. With content, products, and services tailored to your personal brand, you can control the way others view and interact with your business. Again - promotion does not always need to be selling! Show your audience how you can perform for them time and again by performing for yourself!
Brand Awareness
Once you've established your brand personality, you can move on to creating brand awareness through your visual identity. This is where the logo design and all those key pieces of a branding package come in extremely handy! This is a visual story you tell your audience whenever they interact with your brand. A logo, brand mark, sub mark - whatever you want to call it - serves as a concrete object to associate with the abstract concept of your brand personality. It is a way to implement those ideas and establish brand familiarity with your audience. Wherever you promote a product or service or share information about yourself, you can use those tools to continue to promote your identity as a whole.
I hope these tips have got you really thinking about your brand identity!
If you're interested in getting started on your brand identity, click below and I'll send you a FREE brand questionnaire that gets those creative juices flowing and stimulates thought about those key traits and qualities that make you stand out from the rest.
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