True Story: Branding Is Like Dating

Have you ever been on a date where the person wouldn’t shut up about themselves? Perhaps they didn’t have time to get to know you before forming an opinion, and the connection didn’t last long. When you brand a firm, remember that branding is akin to dating. To make the greatest first impression.,

 

What is a brand?

The terms “branding,” “brand identity,” and “logo” are often confused. While they perform various roles, they each have distinct meanings. When rebranding your firm, redesigning your logo, or updating your website, it’s critical to know the significance of these words.

 

Logo 

“The term logo is a short way of saying logotype, which is a trademark created from a specially lettered word (logos is Greek for ‘word’). ” — Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap

A logo is a graphical representation of your company’s brand. A logo, trademark, symbol, monogram, emblem, or other graphical element are not the actual brand; instead, they are simply a sign for it.

 

Brand Identity 

The visible elements of a brand, such as colour, design, and logo that identify and distinguish the brand in the consumer’s mind, are referred to as a company’s “brand identity.” According to Business Dictionary, it is “the visible components of a brand that identify and distinguish it in the consumer’s mind.

The concept of brand identity is what most people think of when “branding” comes up. When these visual elements are combined, they create a distinction in a customer’s mind for the company. On the other hand, a brand’s identification is not synonymous with the brand itself; it refers to the set of marketing tools used to develop.

 

Brand

“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. You can’t control the process, but you can influence it.” – Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap. 

Your brand might be everything or nothing at all, depending on how you define it. A brand may include a voice, personality, client relationships, staff, marketing approach, and so much more. Take a look at this excerpt from Marty Neumeier’s book The Brand Gap to see what I’m talking about.

Note that the man is described as a fantastic lover by the woman in this illustration, whether it’s from marketing and advertising (source), through the phone (telemarketing), through another person (public relations), or through visual indications (graphic design). The exception to this is the last panel, where the woman makes her own decision about the man

Customers have a unique experience when they buy into a certain brand since what we buy says something about us. Why is shopping at Target more thrilling than shopping at Kmart? Why do individuals purchase Apple when their products may be of lesser quality but more expensive than other brands? A strong brand understands how to tug on invisible strings in order to persuade you to.

 

Play the matchmaker

To make the brand stick out from the rest, a business must match its brand with the personalities of its customers. It’s impossible to choose and pick a company to buy from when every other one is identical, so embrace your differences and make them stand out. To make a consumer fall in love with your brand, you must first figure out what would

 

Keep the relationship strong

“Brands are like individuals in that they do not fall in love with companies; instead, they become attached to personalities.” — Yo Santosa, Ferroconcrete founder

Once you’ve figured out what kind of person your customer is, it’s time to give your brand a personality. Begin by examining your company on the inside:

  1. What are the company’s attitude and culture?
  2. What are your core values?
  3. What is the difference between your company and your competitors?

Before you can accomplish anything, you must first establish who you are and where you want to go. Otherwise, you will have no way to attract anybody. Your voice, tone, and design should develop naturally throughout this process.

Don’t stray from who you are as a company once you’ve established it. Your brand should maintain consistency, sound the same, and deliver the same experience to each client it encounters. With your consumers, this establishes trust, comfort, and credibility.

 

Communication is key

It’s critical to stay in touch with your clients throughout their buying experience. Content is essential when you’re developing a brand personality, and consumers want to feel like they’re chatting with a friend.

Make sure your brand statement comes across as genuine and friendly. When a company’s brand statement is full of fluffy, bussing words, it indicates that the firm doesn’t care about establishing a connection with its consumers.

Imagine your brand as a person to get a solid personality. Make a list of various conversations they might have with customers in the future. This exercise will help your company seem more like a flesh-and-blood individual and less like a business machine.

 

Don’t try to be someone you’re not

everything starts with who you are and how comfortable you are in your own skin. Customers will determine whether a brand is “them” or “not them” based on what they buy. Brands are self-selecting, and businesses should be okay with it.