Branding Basics

Branding forms an important aspect of your business, large or small. It is an integral part of your marketing strategy. I would describe branding as the message communicated by a business to its external stakeholders. An important element of consumer branding is the brand identity which will determine the brand image. Understanding brand identity will be the focus of this post.

Brand Identity

What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Is your brand serious and bold or is it friendly and cheerful? Your brand identity should always seek to answer this question.

The brand identity comprises of the logo, tagline, name and the tone. Selecting and choosing the colour, design and tone of your logo should be a well- thought process as this will determine your brand personality, which is the emotional association your consumers will make with your brand. In this highly competitive market, it is important to make sure that your logo evolves with the times but still represents your core values. Don’t take these for granted as it determines how customers associate with your company.

Using a basic processing program, for example, to design a quick logo will not be effective, it can make your brand look sloppy and somehow “cheap”. Instead set a marketing budget and give it to a professional design agency. Use the same colour scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don’t need to be fancy, just consistent and efficient.

Your tagline and brand values are the promises your brand makes to the consumer. Your brand values and tagline cannot be promising consistency and quality service while your brand and your consumers experience the total opposite. It is important to not create a tagline which you cannot abide by.

Brand Image

It all boils down to the brand image and customer touchpoint. Which will be formed by all the above-mentioned elements. For your brand to have a good image, the brand identity must have delivered as expected. We have all experienced bad service at our favourite clothing outlet or restaurant, that is a bad customer touchpoint and the possible cause may be a failure in the execution of the brand identity elements. Businesses cannot completely make every customer happy always but should thrive towards minimizing dissatisfaction always. This can be done by making sure that the internal customers(employees) have the brand identity values well vested in them.

In summary

Brand identity:  Should always be consistent. Use the same colour scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don’t need to be fancy, just consistent.

Brand image: Remember your brand touchpoints will be the determining factor of whether you retain or lose your customers.