25th May 2016

Posted By: Emily Benton

I’m sure you’ve all heard people talk about the importance of having a strong brand identity but have you ever considered the real value it has to your business?

A successful brand can make you stand out from your competitors, help attract the right clients and increase market awareness. A lot of people have misconceptions about what a brand actually is. Don’t confuse your logo with your brand – Your logo is not your brand and your brand is so much more than your logo.

Your brand is your visual identity, your business personality and the way it’s communicated to your customers. It’s the overall style, tone, values and purpose of the company. A brand helps create the attitude people have towards the business and those emotions carry a reputation.

I think this quote by Jeff Bezos fits perfectly here: “Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Your brand is the image you wish to portray to the world and preferably will attract your ideal client/customer. There are countless benefits of building a successful brand. Here’s what I feel are 3 key benefits you can expect to see when having a strong brand identity.

1. Targeted Messaging – A Good First Impression

A strong brand identity needs to stand out from its competitors and have clear messaging to it’s target market. The messaging needs to convey it’s unique selling points, why buy from your business instead of the rest? This needs to be communicated consistently and coherently otherwise it will confuse your market rather than establish your company identity. Choose your company values that give you the edge over your competitors and stick to it. You ideally want to win over your audience in time through using your brand consistently but you also want to make a great lasting first impression.

People today are living in a consumer world where first impressions are everything. You have that one chance to make a connection with your audience because despite everyone telling us that we shouldn’t, people do judge a book by its cover. We haven’t got the time or the patience to research a company or product. We don’t want to take the time to read through lengthly text therefore a quick glance of your brand identity whether it be your logo, marketing material or website and people will come to a decision about your business straight away. If you can’t convey your company message quickly then your brand needs to have stronger targeted messaging.

“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” WILL ROGERS

2. Customer Recognition

Having a strong, consistent brand helps to build customer recognition. The more people see your brand, the more they engage and remember it. If your brand communicates the right message people will start to make a connection with your product/service. This will in turn make your company more memorable when someone is choosing a product or considering a company to deliver a service. Even if they are unfamiliar with the business, people are more likely to go with a brand they recognised.

3. Builds Customer Loyalty

Customer recognition from a strong brand identity also brings customer loyalty. Successful branding shouldn’t just show that you want to sell a product or service, it should convey the companies values along with your unique selling points. Showing why you’re different from other companies in your market. If a business communicates its company values properly it will make a emotional connection with their target audience and attract customers that share these same values. People are more likely to stay loyal to the brand and not switch to competitors when they have an emotional connection with the companies values.

Ultimately if you have a strong brand from the start and keep it consistent your business will be moving in the right direction. Every business has a brand, is yours attracting your target market? If you would like more information or advise on building on strong brand identity please feel free to get in touch on 01902 426 847, we’re always happy to help.