Brand Marketing & How to Build Your Brand Identity in 5 Steps

When it comes to smartphones, the choice between iPhone and Android can be a deeply personal one. Some users are staunchly loyal to their preferred brand. Some have even gone to the extent of expressing their aversion to the "green text" stigma associated with Android users, highlighting the strong emotions tied to smartphone choices.

Interestingly, in a survey comparing iPhone and Android users, some respondents admitted to harboring less respect for users of the other type. This loyalty, while sometimes intense, underscores the power of brand marketing.

But what exactly is brand marketing? It's a strategy that focuses on shaping perceptions of your company's overall brand to promote your product. This involves defining your company's mission, story, brand voice, and design.

A strong brand can make your product highly desirable, leading to customers naturally advocating for it and even eagerly anticipating new offerings. Conversely, a weak brand can drive customers away, viewing your product as inferior or untrustworthy.

In the following sections, we'll dive deeper into why branding is a crucial tool for growth. We'll explore the key components of a successful brand marketing strategy and provide insights on how to define your brand for exceptional results.

Why Companies Need to Invest in Brand Marketing

No matter the product or service you offer, you're also providing an experience, and branding is what shapes that experience. Your brand is the sum of all interactions between your company and its customers.

The chart above illustrates some, though not all, of the touchpoints where your brand identity is conveyed, influencing people's perceptions of your company. Touchpoints are the moments in the customer journey that contribute to a conversation.

For startups, breaking through a growth plateau can be challenging without a strong brand. Even with the right marketing channels, they may struggle to expand beyond a certain point.

Effective brand marketing can catalyze growth by achieving the following:

1. Brand Recognition and Awareness: In a sea of competitors vying for attention, resonating with consumers is key to creating lasting recall.
2. Customer Loyalty: Strong branding forges an emotional connection, often through storytelling. Relatable narratives can foster customer loyalty, as seen in Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign.
3. Differentiation: Branding serves as a mental shortcut, setting your company apart from others. Logos, like those of fast-food chains, are instantly recognizable due to branding efforts.

Consider how Starbucks leverages branding to sell more than just coffee; it sells a trendy lifestyle. People choose Starbucks to project a certain image.

In many instances, a strong brand can enable an inferior product to outperform a superior one. Despite McDonald’s coffee beating Starbucks in a blind taste test, Starbucks remains the world's most popular coffee chain, commanding higher prices.

In essence, robust brand marketing can amplify your business's growth by enhancing perceived value, increasing market willingness to pay, and improving the product experience. This translates to higher conversion rates, retention, and customer lifetime value.

When Does My Company Need To Focus On Branding?

Building a brand is crucial for all businesses, especially early-stage ones, for several reasons:

1. Entering a Saturated Market: In crowded markets, like the apparel industry, a strong brand sets you apart. For example, Lululemon's stylish and community-focused branding helps it stand out in the competitive yoga pants market.
2. Competing Against Established Names: Trusted brands often win over unfamiliar ones, even if the latter has a superior product. Branding can level the playing field, as seen with Robinhood, which challenged traditional brokerages by branding itself as a finance democratizer.

To determine when to focus on branding, consider these key stages:

1. During Product Development: Develop a high-level brand framework early on to align with your product experience.
2. While Validating Your Product: Use your brand concept to guide product tests and gather feedback. If the brand doesn't resonate, refine it based on user insights.
3. While Gaining Early Traction: Once you have a steady customer base, refine your messaging and design to strengthen your brand further.

Brand marketing is an ongoing process. Develop a basic brand identity early, then refine it based on market feedback. Coca-Cola, for example, spends billions annually to maintain its brand.

As your business grows, continue investing in your brand. A strong brand not only boosts conversions and click-through rates but also turns customers into loyal advocates who promote your brand.

The 4 Crucial Parts Of Any Brand Identity

When it comes to branding, there are several key components that companies should focus on. Here are the four foundational elements:

1. Mission Statement: This is a concise statement of your company's main goals. It communicates what your company cares about to customers and guides internal strategic decisions. For example, Slack's mission is to make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.
2. Brand Story: This is a narrative about how your company started and why it does what it does. Effective brand stories stir emotions and engage customers. They can focus on the company's origin or be consumer-focused, highlighting how the product serves customers.
3. Brand Voice: This is how your company sounds in its communications. It includes tone, vocabulary, and style used in your website, emails, customer support interactions, social media posts, and ads. For example, Dove and Old Spice both have casual brand voices, but they cater to different audiences, with Dove focusing on empowerment and Old Spice on absurdity.
4. Brand Design: This includes the visual elements that represent your company, such as logo, color palette, typography, iconography, and imagery. While brand design can be expensive, there are cost-effective solutions like 99designs, Upwork, or Fiverr for logo and brand assets. It's recommended to spend no more than $5,000 on brand design initially and invest more as your budget allows.

Overall, these foundational elements of branding help create a cohesive and memorable brand identity that resonates with customers and sets your company apart from competitors.

5 Steps For Building An Effective Brand Marketing Strategy

Earlier, we outlined the three critical stages when companies should focus on building their brand: during product development, product validation, and early traction.

Now, let's delve into how to create and execute a brand marketing strategy, breaking it down into five important steps:

1. Research Your Target Market: Understand who your target audience is and what they're looking for. Conduct surveys, interviews, and field research to gather insights. For example, if you’re creating and selling a dog toy, you could visit local dog parks to see what items owners bring for their dogs to play with. This will help you establish a stronger emotional connection with your customers and shape your brand accordingly.

2. Study Your Competitors: Analyze your competitors' brand positioning, value propositions, and customer engagement strategies. For instance, you can look at their websites, social media accounts, and customer reviews to understand how they are appealing to your customers. This will help you identify opportunities for differentiation and refine your brand strategy. If you were trying to create a new online property rental marketplace, it'd make sense to study Airbnb and Vrbo.

3. Develop Brand Guidelines: Create a set of brand guidelines that define your company's voice, design elements, and messaging. These guidelines will ensure consistency across all marketing materials and help your team convey your brand accurately. For example, Skype created its own brand book with detailed guidelines about its voice, vocabulary, and even logo.

4. Invest in Content Marketing: Content marketing is a powerful tool for brand building. Use it to convey your brand voice, tell your brand story, and engage with your audience. Consider hiring dedicated content marketers to drive your content strategy. Nike's marketing campaigns tell the stories of professional and recreational athletes alike to inspire and motivate customers.

5. Track Consumer Response: Monitor how consumers are responding to your marketing efforts on social media and other channels. This feedback will help you refine your brand strategy and product direction based on consumer insights. For instance, you can use TweetDeck to monitor specific keywords and hashtags related to your company, industry, and product.

By following these steps and incorporating examples into your strategy, you can create a strong brand that resonates with your target audience and sets you apart from competitors.

Examples Of Strong Branding

Examples of corporate branding abound, but they vary in impact. So, which companies can serve as inspiration?

Here are three diverse examples that excel in brand marketing:

Liquid Death

In a saturated market with numerous bottled water brands, Liquid Death stood out by offering canned water and cultivating an edgy, ironic image. Its branding, which includes a darkly humorous tagline, "Murder your thirst," and a skull-themed rewards program, resonates with its audience.

Additionally, Liquid Death expanded its product line to include branded merchandise and unique stuffed animals, aligning with its brand image. By challenging conventions, Liquid Death has turned its brand into a product and built a strong community around environmentalism.

Hinge

Unlike traditional dating apps, Hinge sought to create a more serious, relationship-focused platform. After a critical article highlighted the shortcomings of dating apps, Hinge revamped its brand and product. It redefined its brand image with the tagline "the dating app designed to be deleted" and emphasized its algorithm and team of "love scientists." By humanizing its brand and focusing on authenticity, courage, and empathy, Hinge set itself apart in the dating app market, attracting users looking for meaningful connections.

Zendesk

Zendesk initially stood out in the customer service SaaS industry with its bright green color palette and Buddha mascot. However, over time, Zendesk realized the limitations of its branding and underwent a rebranding process. It simplified its brand design and created mini-logos to represent its various services, allowing it to showcase its expanded offerings. Despite the rebrand, Zendesk maintained its playful and conversational voice, connecting with customers while aligning its brand image with its mission of delivering exceptional customer service.

These case studies demonstrate how companies can innovate and evolve their brand identities to resonate with consumers and differentiate themselves in competitive markets.

Rounding It Up....

Effective brand marketing campaigns are not simple or quick endeavors. They demand thorough research and meticulous planning. However, when executed successfully, they have the power to forge a strong and lasting impression, leading to customer loyalty and brand recognition.

To nurture these customer relationships, consistent long-term brand management is essential. In the initial stages, it is advisable to concentrate on key elements such as your mission statement, company narrative, brand voice, and design. It is beneficial to appoint at least one team member to spearhead your content marketing efforts. Additionally, it is crucial to regularly engage with your customers to gauge the impact of your branding strategies.