Branding is essential, especially if you want to stay ahead of your competitors. This means you should know what makes your business unique and different from others in the market.
This way, your target customers will be able to identify with your brand and buy your products over other brands that sell the same products or services.
This is where a unique brand identity comes in. This clearly distinguishes one offer from other similar ones on the market by showing off some features that make it stand out.
This may include your company values, how you reach out to your clients, and how you make them feel when they engage with your organization. The best design agency London recommends that you reflect on these things.
Here’s an in-depth seven-step guide to establishing a unique brand identity that’ll make your business stand out from the rest of the crowd:
1. Pick A Memorable Business Name
Before you start designing everything that goes with your brand, you must choose a business name first. You’ll use this name to identify you in the market and on the internet as you launch your brand.
However, you must ensure that your business name is memorable so people will likely remember your company. You can brainstorm with friends or family members on what name would be best for your business.
As you do so, you should avoid selecting a name that sounds similar to your competitors. If you do, consumers might believe that what you’re selling isn’t authentic, which affects their perception of your brand.
2. Know Your Company’s Mission
Once you select a name that resonates best with your offer, you must identify your company’s mission. This might include developing products that’ll make lives easier, becoming an industry leader in your field, or providing valuable information to people.
When you can determine your mission, you’ll know what drives your brand and can build it into the foundation of your identity.
You may do this by writing your company’s mission statement. For instance, if you sell healthy products, you may say that your goal is to create innovative products that’ll help people live healthier lives.
This might help you determine which products fit into this category and how you should market them.
3. Identify Your Target Customers
Your brand identity should resonate well with the preferences of your target consumers. You must find out who they are, including their needs and interests. This way, you can design a brand that fits their lifestyle and apply them to your promotional strategies.
An excellent way to do this is by conducting market research. This includes sending out consumer surveys, focus groups, or interviews. By doing so, you’ll be able to determine what’s working for customers and how you can improve upon it to serve them better.
This can help you transform their perception so they’ll see you as a trustworthy brand that cares about their demands.
4. Research Your Competitors
Another way to develop a unique brand identity is by studying your competitors. You can visit their websites or social media pages to understand what they do in terms of marketing channels and online presence. This helps you discover their weakness and use it as an opportunity to create a better brand.
You may find that one of your competitors is offering an exclusive discount on a product or service in short supply. This might make you rethink how best to provide these promotions because offering discounts might lead customers to shop elsewhere if they want them at the lowest price possible.
However, you might lose sales by offering such deals, especially if you’re a startup company. Instead, you can provide free shipping if the consumers reach a specific amount.
This way, you can remain competitive by offering the best value for money and retaining your customers who’ve already purchased from your brand.
5. Design The Look Of Your Brand
5. Design The Look Of Your BrandOnce you accomplish the first four steps in building a unique brand identity, you can design your brand’s look. This is essential because it might help you relate to your target consumers and encourage them to buy from you.
You must have an excellent design to convince your target consumers that your business is worth their time and money. Consider seeking assistance from design experts. They can help you create a visual identity for your company that’ll make people want to buy from you.
Here’s a list of all your branding elements that’ll help you design the look of your brand:
- Color Palette
An excellent way to ensure that your brand is consistent with its color scheme is to use one dominant color for all marketing materials and then use its complementary colors as accents.
You can also use two or three shades of one primary color to create contrast between the body copy and other text on your website or blog post.
If you have blue as your dominant color, you can use it as the background color for all marketing pieces and then add black or white text as an accent on top of this background. This will give a sense of depth and hierarchy to your brand’s visual identity.
- Typography
The typography of your logo is vital in your brand design because it helps you deliver your message to your audience. So, you must ensure that your typeface is timeless, simple, and easy to read. You may choose different logo fonts such as serif, sans serif, display, or cursive.
Whatever you select, ensure it resonates with your brand personality to match the tone you intend to convey.
- Business Cards
This element is vital in your brand identity because it is the first impression customers get about your business. It should be simple and classy but also memorable.
Your company name should be printed on one side and the logo or artwork on the other. This ensures that customers will always remember you and know where to find you.
- Logo Design
The logo sets you apart from other companies in this industry, so it needs to look professional and appealing to potential customers. The artwork can be used as an identifier for various marketing campaigns such as events or social media posts.
When choosing a logo design, ensure it conveys your message clearly and efficiently. Try to stay away from over-complicated designs that are hard to decipher.
You want something people can recognize at a glance when they see it on their computer screen or as a print advertisement in a magazine or newspaper.
- Website Design
Your website has to reflect your brand. You need a clean, easy-to-navigate site that includes all the information visitors need to know about you and what you do.
Think about how visitors interact with it, from entering their name and email address to making payments and downloading product information.
- Product Packaging
If you’re offering products to your consumers, ensure that your items are safely packed inside a safe and eco-friendly box. You should also consider using recyclable materials and finding ways to reuse them whenever possible.
This will show consumers and potential investors that you value sustainability, which can also be part of your brand identity.
The look of your brand matters because it leaves an impression on the ones who see your logo and other print materials. That’s why you must ensure that these six elements can be related to each other in a way that will create a strong image for your company.
6. Define Your Brand’s Unique Value Proposition
Creating a brand identity means figuring out your unique value proposition (UVP). This is important because it sets you apart from your competitors while ensuring you deliver on this promise. If you don’t define your UVP, you might never be able to communicate well with customers, employees, and employees.
When identifying your UVP, you must review your market research results and determine your consumers’ common pain points. This may include a delay in customer support response, low-quality offers, or a complex payment process in other online stores.
If that’s the case, you must be able to develop products or services that’ll resolve these pain points. For instance, if your target consumers want to pay via credit card and similar brands don’t accept such payment, consider providing multiple payment methods.
This way, you can cater to those who don’t like paying cash while supporting customers who prefer paying via credit cards or another form of payment.
7. Develop A Recognizable Jingle
After choosing the visual elements of your brand, you may create a jingle that’ll leave the listeners inspired and interested in your company. You’ll use this to advertise your brand on television, radio, and social media.
The jingle should be catchy and memorable so people will want to share it with their friends and family.
Your business jingle may also include some information about your company and its services or products so it’d be easy for people to remember. You may add your company’s name at the end of each line or keep it simple by adding only one word per line.
If you have enough budget, consider working with a sound engineer with experience with music genres like pop, rock, or country music. This expert can help you create a unique tone that matches your business image perfectly.
Key Takeaway
Branding is what sets you apart from a highly competitive market. So, as an entrepreneur, you must create a unique brand identity that’ll help you stand out in the crowd and gain greater attention.
You can do this by following these seven steps to create a logo representing your brand and a catchy jingle that the masses will love.
You can also make branding strategies that resonate best with your target consumers, which might encourage them to be loyal supporters of your brand. This way, you can stay ahead of your competitors while maintaining a solid market presence.
