The Importance of Branding: How to Create and Maintain a Strong Brand Identity

Matt here. As usual. Today, we’ll be covering brand identity.

“Okay. Hold on. Didn’t you JUST cover branding? Like, a few editions ago?”

Well, yes. I did go over branding four editions before this one.

“So? What’s this? Branding again?”

Uh…Not exactly.

Let me get into it and I’ll explain. Deal?

“Sure, Matt. Let’s go?”

Let’s go.

So, the difference between branding and brand identity.

Brand Identity, very simply, is the collection of the tangible brand elements that come together to create your brand image.

So, the things such as the colors you use and your font type for text to your slogan and logo, all of these things are part of your brand identity.

Branding is the process of creating a brand identity.

When you’re working towards developing a better logo or a more catchy slogan…

Or maybe testing out what colors would go well with your overall brand…

You’re in the process of branding.

"Makes sense. So, what’s there to talk about?”

A lot, actually.

So, these aren’t the only things that come under your brand identity.

If you’ve got a radically different set of values (an oil company moving towards sustainable energy), a different approach to things (Bringing a twist to greeting cards like Hustle & Hope), or anything that sets you apart…

From the design of your perfume bottle…

To the way you run your marketing campaigns…

Even those come under brand identity.

The thing is, your brand identity is literally your brand identity.

It’s your brand’s personality, made up of all the values that make your brand your brand.

The values that set it apart.

The ‘identity’ that makes it unique. 1 of 1.

(Think about Nike’s ‘swoosh’. Seen anything like it anywhere else?)

From the color selection and tone of communication to the type of content and core values, anything and everything that matters here comes under brand identity.

“Okay, I get it. Why are you stressing about it too much though?”

Because, in a time where there are so many brands selling the same things to the same people, you need some way to set yourself apart.

That could be drawing people to you based on emotion.

“Perfumes that remind you of the good old days.”

It could be a play on psychology and loss aversion.

“Perfumes that ACTUALLY last longer, smell good after the first sniff, and don’t leave stains.”

It could appeal to the eco-friendly side of your consumers.

“From the Earth, for the Earth: our environmentally conscious perfume collection.”

It could be anything that’s different. Anything that’ll make you memorable.

Just like Ikea’s “Hej!” which means “Hello!” in Swedish.

"Okay, okay. So what?? I get the point. Give me something I can do for MY brand.”

Sure. Was getting to that, but okay.

So, there are two parts to this.

First, you ask the right questions and make sure you’re content and thorough in trying to answer them.

Then, you work on your brand identity elements (or on your branding, the same thing) accordingly.

So, first, the questions.

What’s your brand strategy??

No, really. What are your mission and vision?

What are your values?

Who is your target audience?

What’s so different about you?

What do you want to be known for?

These are the things that will set the basis for your brand strategy and how your brand’s overall personality will take shape.

Done? Now, it’s time for some market research.

Sure, you’ve got everything nailed down on your side. But do you know about what’s going on in the industry?

Who’s doing what? How are they doing it?

What pain points are they agitating?

What works better than what?

Doing market research won’t just give you some information and make you ‘more aware’ of what’s going on.

Instead, it’ll give you insights that you can use to make a brand identity that actually RESONATES with your target audience.

Save time and study what the others are doing.

Learn what works and what doesn’t. Then double down on that.

Now that you’ve gathered the right information, the foundation has been laid. All you’ve got to do now? Create those brand elements.

From your slogan/tagline, logo, font type, font size, and design to your product presentation, packaging, business cards, and website…

(Oh yeah, your content as well. Y'know, the blogs, and posts? That stuff.)

All of these should be in line with your research and answers to the questions.

These are the external things that your audience will see, feel and interact with.

The colors you use. The way you present your product. Everything matters.

Remember, you’ve got a lot of competition. Anything you do differently is one step towards further differentiating yourself from everyone else.

Sure, it’s going to take some time.

You might have to work with different designers.

You might want to change up the style and presentation.

You might realize “Oh wait, the logo doesn’t fit on my box. Back to the drawing board.”

You might change your strategy and scrap everything when you’re nearly done with things.

You might do a lot of things.

The point is to be relevant, true to your values, and consistent.

Come up with something that can be maintained consistently and isn’t trendy, so you don’t HAVE to change it every time a new trend comes out.

Come up with something that accurately represents who you are.

You know, just like that one person at the party who’s wearing something SO different, you just can’t help but notice him. In a good way of course.

Let your brand be itself.

Suppose we take Bean Bliss’s example, which we covered in our branding edition.

(It’s something that was ‘developed’ during the brand newsletter.)

How could a coffee shop have a unique brand identity?

Well, everything from the way the brick-and-mortar shop is laid out and organized, to the ‘smell of fresh coffee’ and the dark, muted, brownish colors that set the theme.

A dark-ish, musky environment where you could sip on a strong cup of black coffee, with the walls telling the story of how the company was born.

A simple font tagline that says “Coffee, made the right way.” with an enlarged, mug-shaped coffee bean for a logo.

As you’re reading this, you can probably almost imagine yourself there.

That’s exactly what your brand should express.

Someone who comes across it should be able to ‘feel’ and ‘experience’ what you’re trying to convey.

And that will only happen when…

You actually integrate things across all platforms, avenues, and customer touchpoints.

From your POS (if you have a physical shop), your checkout gateway (if you’ve got a digital store) to the product you deliver (physical or digital, doesn’t matter).

From your social media posts, ads, and marketing campaigns to your business cards, website, and targeted communication.

All of this effort of trying to differentiate and stand out will ONLY work when you’ve got consistency wherever and whenever you’re seen.

And seriously, don’t limit yourself.

Let everything and anything tangible be part of your brand identity. Don’t hold it back.

If you’ve got an eco-friendly business outlook, make it the thing that separates you from everyone in your niche.

If you're sourcing ethical and sustainable ingredients, talk about it.

Everything and anything your brand is doing…let it be known.

But make sure you’re consistent about it.

And…yeah. That’s it.

At the end of the day, it’s really simple to get started.

Some research, and some Q&A with yourself and/or your team and you’re ready to come up with a couple of iterations that might possibly stick.

Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking that it’s a lot though.

Until the research and answers are compiled, you won’t have much to go off of or refer back to whenever working on something, be it your slogan, logo, or your brand values.

Once you’ve got everything in place, come up with things, test them, and go from there.

So, in a nutshell:

1. Ask yourself the important questions about your brand.
2. Do market research about your industry/niche, competitors as well as your target audience.
3. Come up with various iterations and test to see how they look, and what feelings and emotions they invoke.
4. Finalize things.
5. Revisit things occasionally and make modifications as you see fit.?

That last bit - do it strategically. Make sure you don’t end up changing too much too often. You know, relatability and all.

You want to be a brand around which your audience can build memories and relate to.

Having a strong, relatable, authentic, and memorable brand identity will help you get there.

Anyways, if you’d like my help on anything or just have a question or two (or more!), feel free to let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Until next time, keep building.