How to Ensure a Strong Brand Identity and Presence Online

What computer or phone are you reading this on? What does the logo look like? How is it visually designed? Is it reliable? If you needed support for an issue, what would your interaction with the company be like? If you wanted to browse the company’s website for other products, what would your experience be like?

All of these questions touch on different pieces of a brand identity. A strong brand identity should be a priority for all companies wanting to find success because a strong brand identity is the difference between the average, low-level company and the major players.

What Makes Up A Brand Identity?

A brand identity is made up of the visual elements of a brand. This can include:

• Logo
• Name
• Color
• Design (e.g. use of shapes, textures, etc.)
• Font
• Imagery (e.g. advertising)
• Language
• Website experience (includes things mentioned in this list)
• Products
• And more!

How do you establish your brand identity?

To establish a brand identity which will ensure you have a notable presence online and in the minds of customers, there are five key ideas to remember.

Analyze your company and the market.

To figure out where to begin when building your brand identity, analyze what your strengths and weaknesses are. Perform a full SWOT analysis by looking at opportunities and threats within the market too. This will give you a better sense of what areas to hit when looking to differentiate your brand.

Figure out who you are.

Know yourself. This saying applies just as strongly to brands as it does to individuals. What are your goals? What is your mission? Your values? Your personality? Your voice? Brainstorm with your team to ask yourself these questions and collectively decide what direction you want to take your brand.

Who will identify with you?

The next step to finding the right path for your brand is thinking of the consumer. What sort of customers will be interested in your products? Who will appreciate what you stand for and who will want to stand with you? Tailor your brand identity to encourage your primary customers to not only join you, but to bring friends with them too.

What makes you different?

One of the biggest reasons for securing a strong brand identity is to stand out, but to do so, you have to be taking actions that set you apart. What products or services do you offer that others do not? If you sell something that others also sell, how are you doing it with greater quality, lower cost, or better environmental policies?

Consistency is key.

To be known and remembered, you have to keep your identity consistent. That means once you’ve figured out your visual elements like those mentioned in the list above, stick to them. That doesn’t mean you should be stagnate and not change or evolve over time, but it means there should be pieces of your brand that remain, even when other pieces change. Think about Disney—when you go to Disney World, you know you’re going to the “Happiest Place on Earth” and you expect to be treated by their workers like that’s where you are. The rides may change, but the feeling stays with you.

Why is a strong brand identity so important?

Brand identities are vital to a business’s long-term success because they breed three factors:

• Credibility/Trust
• Memorability/Differentiation
• Excitement from New Customers/Loyalty from Existing Customers

A strong brand identity will lend these benefits. You may buy an iPhone because you know the quality and variety of services that Apple offers in their phones. You also know their name and logo because you see them everywhere and nobody else uses an apple the same way. Most people who buy iPhones will upgrade to the newer product because they know they’re getting upgraded versions of what they already love.

If you can show your brand’s story in every facet of your brand identity, consumers will take note and a movement will begin.

 

For help on building a brand identity and visualizing your brand’s path moving forward, talk to our team of experienced brand focused designers, copywriters, and strategists at Kraus Marketing. Contact us today to learn more.