“Brand identity.” It just may be one of the more misunderstood and under-appreciated terms in marketing.
More often than not, it seems people simply associate “Brand Identity” with the graphic identity of the brand — the logo, graphic design system, and perhaps the slogan. While that’s part of it, there’s more to the story.
Your brand identity is the DNA of your brand. It defines how your brand lives and breathes. It prescribes what you want your brand to look and feel like. How you want customers and prospects to experience it. And how your brand-related employees should conduct their day-to-day activities as they work to support the brand.
Ultimately, your brand identity has everything to do with your ability to sell more of your stuff.
Key brand identity building steps and elements are these:
Competitive and Opportunities Assessment: Fundamentally, your prospects are seeking a solution to a problem; that’s why they’re shopping. Beyond the solution you provide, how else can the problem be solved and by whom? What makes these alternatives better or worse than your brand offering? Do prospects need the kind of solution you and your direct competitors provide, or are there other approaches they can consider? What makes those solutions different than yours? Why are they more or less effective? A thorough and objective competitive assessment is critical to illuminate the competitive brandscape. Much of this can be accomplished with secondary research, but primary research tools might be considered here as well.
Brand Vision & Values Statement: Just like asking yourself what you want your kid to be when she grows up, consider a long view for your brand. What values and standards do you want your brand (and related decisions) to unwaveringly reflect, no matter what? You likely have a vision and values statement for your overall business. You should have one for your brand(s) as well, as this will define the foundation and boundaries from and within which you’ll operate the brand. Consider the competitive and market environment as well as your own organization, and be honest and realistic.
Value Proposition and Positioning: A value proposition is simply the promise of a brand benefit, expressed on a functional, emotional, or self-expressive level. Positioning is expressing a decisive advantage over competitive solutions. Together, they form the distinctive reasons why prospects should use your brand instead of someone else’s. Both of these are developed in the context of the competitive and market environment, and within the framework of the brand vision and values statement. The objective here is to differentiate your brand from other solution providers, and to do it in a clear and highly compelling way. Don’t try to be all things to all people when you craft this so long as you focus on attracting the best prospects for your brand, to your brand. Something to consider is the differences in your target audiences: to ensure relevance, you’ll likely need to tweak your brand value proposition and position for your different audiences.
Brand Messaging Platform: Here is where you’ll take the brand value proposition and positioning and identify the specific messaging and support points which will be actively communicated to your target audiences. Sticking to this platform over time will ensure the messages take root among your target audiences.
Brand Touchpoint Management: Identify all the possible ways your brand will interact with your target audiences; there will likely be hundreds. Next prioritize these based on the role they play in selling your stuff. Finally, manage the delivery of these important touchpoints. First, by defining the standard for how those touchpoints should be delivered relative to the brand vision and values and the value proposition and positioning. Second, by educating those responsible for their delivery about your expectations and the performance standard. And, finally, by constantly monitoring the actual delivery to ensure it’s meeting that standard.
More than a logo, for sure. But well worth the time and effort.
