Constructing a Brand Identity

Many people conflate the ideas of a “Logo” and a “Brand.” This is understandable because there is some overlap. But even though graphic design can certainly help your Nashville company develop your brand, it won’t do the whole job. The biggest difference between a logo and a brand is in all that each idea encompasses — a logo helps a customer understand your company by the way something looks, but a brand tells a customer the personality of your company.

This view often strikes people as a little strange. Talking about personality is often reserved for referencing another person. However, it can be very advantageous to think about your brand as a person.

What are your brand’s values? What does it say? How does your brand communicate with customers? But most of all, how do you want your customers to feel when they interact with your brand?

These questions help a company get a good idea of their brand identity. This, in turn, helps them to figure out both how to interact with their customers while also learning how their customers like to interact with them.

What might seem like a simple exercise is actually a very important step toward developing your company in a healthy, smart, and intentional direction.

So why does a company need a brand identity? And how does a company create an effective brand identity?

Why a Brand Identity is Necessary

People like familiarity. If given the choice between two products that are otherwise equal, they will almost always go with the option they have previously seen. And a memorable brand identity will breed this familiarity. There isn’t much of a benefit from a customer being introduced to your business and then forgetting about it.

Your brand identity is how you stick in your customer’s mind. A quality graphic design theme can help your Nashville business in this aspect. A nice looking logo can act as the face of your company. But all the surrounding messaging needs to align with how your logo is perceived.

This includes your marketing, your website, and your service itself. A cohesive presentation in every aspect of how a customer interacts with your company is what builds a solid brand identity.

And a cohesive brand identity helps build trust. People are more likely to do business with a company they trust.

How to Build a Brand Identity

1. Know Your Audience

You have to know who your audience is before you can figure out how to communicate with them. For instance, you wouldn’t put together a car commercial directed toward children. You want to know the type of people that are in the market for your service. This way, you can highlight the qualities your company possesses that your potential customer would find attractive.

2. Hire a Great Graphic Designer

Your logo might not be your entire brand, but quality graphic design is a large asset to your Nashville company. Use the information you gained from learning about your audience to put together a color scheme and design that embodies what your company is about. You are essentially building a visualization that will pop into your customer’s mind when they think of your company. You want to be sure that this image not only aligns with your services and values, but that it also looks really good.

3. Introduce Yourself

Put your brand into the market. Launch your website. Become active on social media platforms. Advertise your company in the most effective way for your industry. Become an eminent source of information for your services by starting an inbound marketing campaign. Putting your brand in front of your potential customers is how you begin building familiarity and trust.

4. Be Consistent

All communication with your customers needs to convey the same tone, style, and attitude. People will begin to identify with your company when you are successful with this consistency. All images, advertisements, and direct interactions with customers should adhere to the standards of your brand identity.

5. Pay Attention

Your business will evolve as time goes on. And sometimes, your brand identity will need to evolve with it. You should be constantly analyzing how your company portrays itself. Are you customers reacting how you want them to? Are there adjustments that can be made as time goes on? Keep in mind these adjustments need to be introduced strategically. Any radical changes can affect how your company is viewed, and not always for the best.

But if you did your due diligence throughout the entire process and stay in contact with your customers, your brand identity will come to mean something more to them than you previously thought possible.