Having a website, logo and all the marketing strategies that goes along with these things are part of branding – telling your story.
“Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.” From Entrepreneur.com
To tell your business story, and to identify who you are and what you do, branding incorporates the following:
Behind every brand there is a compelling story. It is the branding which is the visual elements, wording and intangibles AND the marketing that reveal the story of the company, built into its products and services.
So, whether it is through advertising images and the copywriting, and using a website, a blog and social media, every brand can adequately tell their story, attracting their ideal client.
What compelling story does your brand tell?
The importance of colour to your brand
Colour is especially important in branding and marketing because the first impressions of customers are based on colour. Colours are more than just a visual aid, they convey emotions, feelings, and experiences which is the secret in showing the characteristics and identity of a company.
Emotions are powerful and drive decision making. As a brand, you want to cultivate a strong emotional connection with your customers. You cannot tell your whole brand story in a logo or storefront — but branding colours provide a shortcut straight to your clientele’s hearts.
Using the same colours in throughout your business, strengthens your brand’s association with those colours, thereby strengthening your brand awareness to your audience.
In branding, it is important to choose your brand colours carefully as they’ll have a direct influence on your brand identity. Pink may be your favourite colour, but it might be the worst for your business goals. Before you even get into which colours you want to represent your brand, you must first decide on your ideal brand personality.
What Is Brand Personality?
Very briefly, brand personality refers to human characteristics and traits assigned to a brand which customers can relate to, effectively increasing the brand awareness and popularity and achieving distinction.
Practically: Imagine your brand to be a person. How would the person speak? How would he/she dress up and behave in certain situations?
An Example: Old Spice
There was a time when Old Spice did not have any personality. The company pivoted its branding strategy by adopting the unmistakable persona of being masculine, tough, yet humorous.
Some Marketers use the Brand Personality Spectrum to determine brand personality.
