Most organizations understand the importance of a logo. After all, first impressions are everything, and your logo plays an important role in making a memorable first impression.
But businesses are more than just logos. Behind every great business is a brand, which is why brand identity should be your priority. So, how can you create a powerful brand identity? Keep reading to learn what separates a memorable brand from an exceptional one.
What Is Brand Identity?
Simply put, your brand identity is the personality of your organization. It’s the voice you use, the emotions you elicit, the image you present to the world. Many aspects of your organization play a role in brand identity and they are all important.
But how important is it really? Forbes provided some eye-opening statistics that show the importance of these ideas:
+ Consistent presentation of your brand across platforms increases revenue by up to 23%
+ Color schemes can improve brand recognition by up to 80%
+ Shared values with a brand create a trusted relationship with 64% of consumers
+ 38% of users will stop interacting with a website if the layout is unattractive
With numbers like these, it’s not hard to see why brand identity is essential.
Brand Identity: Key Components You Need to Know
Every powerful brand identity has a few core components that drive its success. These components include:
+ Strong logo. This should be the cornerstone of your brand identity. The logo should be recognizable, unique, and clear. A logo shouldn’t create confusion about the name or the personality of the organization.
+ Consistent brand colors. The colors your brand uses matter when it comes to creating a consistent experience. Having a consistent, appealing color scheme across all products and platforms is an often-overlooked aspect of building a brand identity. But as we saw, it can drive brand recognition, improving it by up to 80%.
+ Brand messaging. The words you chose also matter. Having a consistent voice across your website, other online presence, and any communication is necessary. The voice should represent the personality you want to portray.
One of the easiest ways to keep consistent color, voice, and appearance for your organization is to use templates. Emails, business cards, press releases, really anything you use regularly should be built off a template.
Steps To Create A Powerful Brand Identity
The importance of brand identity is obvious and the components are understandable. So, what are the necessary steps so that you can ensure your organization has a powerful brand identity? Let’s go through them:
+ Know your audience. Understanding who will buy your products or interact with your organization will help with all future decisions. This knowledge will drive the design and images you use. You will know what language the consumers use and will be able to integrate this into your content and copy.
+ Choose a personality. This step quickly builds out of the first. Once you know your audience, you can build a personality for your organization that will appeal to that audience. Are you an expert in your field, needing to show serious competence? Do you want to present yourself as a fellow member of a community? These concepts are all part of your personality.
+ Create your business name. When choosing a name, be sure to let your knowledge of the target audience and the chosen personality drive this decision. This name should be a quick reflection of what you want your organization and your brand identity to present to the world.
+ Write your mission/vision statement. Whether this is an internal document to drive focus or something that appears on your website, having your mission statement and your vision of your organization written down helps decision-making throughout this process.
+ Design your logo. Using your business name or at least some part of it, design a logo for your organization. Think about the color scheme you want to use and remember to build a logo (or numerous variations of the logo) that is clearly seen at any size. From online thumbnails to large billboards, your logo should always be recognizable.
+ Begin branding. This would be the perfect time to create templates using all the above steps. Keep a consistent color scheme, use variations of your logo, and always present the personality you want to reflect. Keep all of this in mind while creating your online and social media presence.
Xhilarate: Transform Your Brand Identity
Branding trends are always changing. What works today may be out of style tomorrow. It’s important to be aware of what your customers expect of a brand in your industry. After all, even the biggest companies and brands refresh their brands.
Are you interested in updating your brand identity?
Xhilarate can modernize your branding—that way you can continue to make a powerful first impression and dominate every stage of the buyer’s journey.
Contact our team today to learn how we can help you build the best brand identity in your industry.
