Establishing a brand identity is essential to building a thriving business. This process includes steps such as branding, messaging, visuals and more.
Brand identities consist of a company’s name, logo or symbol, design elements, brand voice and colors. Brand identities can be developed through surveys, focus groups or interviews conducted to identify consumer groups.
1. Define Your Unique Selling Points (USPs)
An unique selling point (USP) of your product or service is what differentiates it from competitors and should serve as the focus for all marketing efforts and design decisions.
An effective USP can reach customers who may not understand your mission statement or business model, by offering something like quality, price or return policy that stands out. Competitors often copy USPs so it’s crucial that you renew them regularly to remain competitive.
2. Create a Visual Identity
Brand identity refers to the collection of visual elements that represent your company and convey its personality – this can include logos, imagery, typography and colors.
Consistent use of these elements is crucial in building and strengthening your brand’s image, creating trust with customers, and setting your business apart from competitors. Even small details like font can have an enormous impact – just consider how Coca-Cola bottles stand out amongst their competition!
3. Develop a Tone of Voice
It is vital that all marketing materials reflect your brand’s personality. For instance, Nike uses an authoritative tone while Old Spice takes a playful approach.
To find the appropriate tone of voice, brainstorm adjectives that define your company and culture before placing these on a scale to find out your specific tone of voice. Make sure all team members understand this tone of voice!
4. Create a Logo
Your logo serves as the face of your brand, making an immediate impactful statement about key business goals and ideals.
Utilizing surveys, focus groups or one-on-one interviews with your target audience will allow you to establish what perception you wish to portray through design choices.
Think ahead about how your logo will appear across various products and marketing collateral; ensure it remains consistent across these touchpoints to create a unified brand identity.
5. Create a Website
Brand identity encompasses more than just logos and colors: it must also foster customer confidence, foster loyalty and instil referrals.
Discover how digital asset management (DAM) software like MerlinOne helps brands maintain consistent brand identities with automated workflows, versioning tools and distribution channels. Arrange for a demo now!
6. Create Marketing Materials
Marketing materials are pieces that facilitate interaction between you and your customers, such as brochures and flyers to catalogs and social media posts.
Decide the values your business stands for by doing research. Incorporate those beliefs into your design choices to ensure consistency of brand recognition among your customers and build long-term loyalty among them.
7. Create a Social Media Strategy
An effective social media strategy must reflect your brand identity. Images and posts should remain uniform across platforms.
Figure out why and what your audience is doing on each platform – for instance, athletes might use Instagram after morning and evening workouts while travelers might use TikTok to plan or dream of their next adventure.
8. Create a Business Card
Keep an eye on what your competitors are up to so that you don’t create an identity that too closely resembles theirs in your industry. Competitor analysis allows you to examine their branding, design elements, tone of voice and social media strategy – helping ensure you avoid creating something too similar!
Business cards offer you an opportunity to express yourself. From using unique shapes such as Cireson does, to more straightforward choices like including an employee photo on your card – there’s something special about making sure your business card stands out from the pack!
9. Create a Letterhead
Letterheads are an integral component of business branding. Letterheads typically feature your company name, contact information, and an eye-catching design.
Pick a template that complements your brand’s visual identity and colors; for instance, if your company relies heavily on black hues, dark green may make an effective letterhead choice.
Personalize the letterhead by entering your own information.
10. Create a Stationery Set
Stationery can be an indispensable asset to a business. Not only can it enhance brand recognition and expand reach, but it can also be used for in-house communications or given as gifts to clients.
StockLayouts’ pre-made design templates offer the ideal place to begin creating stationery designs that match your company identity. Choose from letters, envelopes and more layouts and easily edit text and colors so they reflect your business needs.