The importance of brand image has always been at the forefront of marketing. The visuals and stylistic choices that represent your brand represent the “handle” by which consumers can grab on to your company and build a relationship with it. It’s also a unique opportunity to differentiate your company from the competition.
Some constituent elements of brand image include:
- Logos
- Color Schemes
- Graphics
- Typography
While a brand image is responsible for explicit feelings about your company, it also has an effect on a subconscious level, creating additional reason to carefully consider just about every image design choice. Brand image represents the sum of how people perceive your company. Today, the multitude of outlets by which consumers can become acquainted with your brand adds yet another layer of complexity to the picture.
This article will help demystify crafting a brand image that works for you.
Building A Firm Foundation
One of the trickier parts of creating an effective brand identity involves accounting for both stability and flexibility. Your brand cannot remain antiquated and unchanging, but it also shouldn’t be changing so much as to become unidentifiable. Certain aspects of Coca-Cola’s image have remained unchanged for more than a century, yet it manages to avoid seeming “dated” or obsolete.
There should be central components of your brand that rarely ever change if they do at all. In fact, studies point to inconsistency as highly harmful to brand image. Companies often keep things like a logo or font style the same across time while experimenting with other less central components of their brand from time to time.
Maintaining Relationships
A company that goes above and beyond in regard to maintaining relationships reap the benefits of increased retention. Psychological research shows us that the mere phenomenon of exposure is enough to cultivate familiarity and thus preference. Tools like automated marketing services are highly effective in this realm since they allow you to conveniently keep in touch with clients and customers via emails and messages sent automatically.
People are also highly responsive to personal touches. When a brand recognizes customers as something more than a mere sales figure, it sets you apart from the competition. This is why many email marketing campaigns now make a note to address the recipient by name.
Another way to add personal touches is by doing so with postcards, business cards, or other marketing materials. These seemingly small gestures do wonders in regard to building a relationship and showing that you value those who do business with you.
Defining The Goals Of Your Business
Simply aiming to “be successful” sounds nice but your mission needs precision and clarity. You have no way of attaining “success” if you never define the parameters of it. Consider the exact figures that you would like to reach within a given timeframe, such as transactions, followers or net profit. Reaching these critical benchmarks only becomes possible once you etch them out clearly and move toward them.
Deciding Brand Persona
Crafting a brand persona involves telling your story that appeals to consumers on an emotional level. A clearly defined, central personality needs to be consistently portrayed. Findings suggest that a lack of a brand story risks making the company appear shallow and undependable.
This also represents a chance to differentiate yourself from competitors by conveying your company’s uniqueness. Perhaps you want to excel in customer service or emanate an expertise in cutting-edge technology. Whatever you decide, it must be portrayed in no uncertain terms.
Reinforcing The Groundwork
Once the fundamentals of your company and its mission have been laid out, it’s time to re-emphasize your statement via content, public relations, and social media. These are the means by which you can stay in touch with your consumer base, as well as reach out for more conversions.
Content can be thought of as the keystone that drives all other aspects of marketing. A stream of high-quality content in the form of videos, blogs, articles, and others will exacerbate the effects of public relations strategies. Both quality and quantity are important and will work in synchrony to bolster your brand awareness organically, as well as benefit you from an SEO standpoint.
Brand Image And Social Media
Social media represent some of the most valuable tools for getting people acquainted with your company, as well as interacting with customers or other important influencers. Social media offer a unique opportunity to cross-pollinate with other relevant businesses that may work in a complementary fashion to yours.
For example, if you run an HVAC company, you could partner up with a window replacement service under the common banner of an eco-friendly approach to household climate control by guest posting or retweeting each other’s content. This lends itself to a mutually beneficial relationship since it takes advantage of doubled exposure.
The general rule of thumb dictates that the more social media platforms, the better. However, consistency is important in this realm as well. Be sure to be using common names, logos, color schemes, and other brand indicators to sidestep avoidable confusion to potential converts. It’s impossible to grasp the image and message of an online entity if it fails to identify itself clearly and cohesively.