Brand building

My main takeaway from last Thursday's chat with Benjamin Rhatigan , co-founder and strategy director at Arrival Projects was how much fun brand building can be. Who wouldn't enjoy thinking about what sets their destination apart from others? Or deciding what animal/car/ice-cream their company would be?

Yet although brand building can be fun, it's time consuming. Because a solid brand is one that is clear about its target customer and the story it wants to tell them. That's a lot to consider – would we fit it all into a half-hour LinkedIn Live?

Of course we didn't! But Benjamin's answers were packed with invaluable advice for anyone wanting to build their tourism brand. In fact, if you care about setting your travel business apart from its peers, I'd strongly recommend you watch the replay.

And, if you're pushed for time, I've summarised Benjamin's key points below.

Benjamin's brand-building tips

1. Visuals aren't everything: There's a tendency to obsess over logos and colour schemes when you're starting out with your brand (I know I did!). But Benjamin spoke about the importance of moving beyond design and instead thinking about how your brand makes people feel.

...what I've come to realise is that branding is much more about building an emotional connection with your audience.

2. Decide what makes your destination unique: Place making is about identifying what makes a location special. Benjamin suggests starting with a thorough analysis of your destination's history, culture, and geography. Note down what's unusual about it, then use your findings to inform your place brand.

When you take a step back and look at [the place you live in] objectively, you recognise that it is different and every place has something special to offer.

3. Tell stories: If you want to grab people's attention, stories are the way to go. Why? Because, as Benjamin points out, stories have been around since the beginning of time. We are programmed to absorb information through stories and, even more importantly, connect with them.

So, when we have a narrative, when there's something that we can identify in ourselves, whether it's a hero character or something that really stands out, it triggers our brain to pay more attention to it and makes it more memorable.

4. Lay your foundations: It's worth taking time to address the big questions:

• Why does your brand exist?
• Who is your target audience?
• What unique value do you provide?

Answering these questions will make sure all elements of your brand are aligned.

[...] there's no shame in doing a rebrand, but it's interesting seeing the companies that have taken the time beforehand to build their first brand and whether they need to do a huge adjustment or just a light touch on some colours or whatnot [...] I can tell almost immediately who did that kind of fundamental groundwork beforehand.

5. Measure your success: Metrics like website visits or social engagements aren't the only ways to do this. Benjamin suggests evaluating the impact of your branding efforts on local communities or measuring changes in resident satisfaction.

[...] looking more at the human side of things, I think, is a really good way to interpret if you are telling your story and building your narrative in an effective way, and if it's having the result that you're looking for.

You can find out more about the work Benjamin Rhatigan does on the Arrival Projects website. Or connect with him here on LinkedIn – he'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

Tour Pro Talks will be taking a little break as my family and I make our autumn pilgrimage to warmer climes. I'll be back towards the end of October, so keep an eye open for updates.

And, if you're a travel and tourism professional with knowledge to share, please get in touch. I'd love to hear from you.