Branding has become more understood and accepted over time however there are still the misconceptions that a brand is all about the logo and design and yes this is one part of a brand but without all of the other elements this becomes design without meaning. Context is key when it comes to creating brands.
So simply put a brand is a personality just like a person. A company brand should showcase the company’s personality and tell its story. Think of everything that makes up a person that you like, respect or admire. I bet you are thinking about their qualities, characteristics, values, identity and guess what because you like this person due to all of these things I bet you get a nice feeling when you think about them. Whether that’s a smile or a feeling of inspiration or motivation. So a brand is exactly this. Its a personality that showcases values, beliefs, an identity to emotionally connect with likeminded people.
The question really is why wouldn’t you invest in a brand. I mean a person without a personality, likes, strengths, values, their own identity wouldn’t have many if any friends and so the same applies to companies.
Companies need a following. Companies need people. People being staff members who buy into the company’s personality and all it has to offer, and guess what, companies with a strong personality absolutely find it easier to attract top talent. Then there are customers, every company dreams of having endless loyal customers right who just keep on coming back to spend more with them. Creating a following through creating a brand is one of the main value points as this is invaluable to connect with customers on a deeper, emotional level to gain their buy in beyond just what is being sold but also into the personality of the company. Then there are the stakeholders, partners and suppliers who all need to buy into the company and what it stands for.
A brand gives purpose and attraction to a company by showcasing its personality. The best brands do this so much so that they will showcase the good the bad and the ugly authentically to be as real as possible and it’s interesting how much loyalty this can bring.
So think of a brand as a person with an awesome personality. A person that you want to be around all the time because you get a buzz from them. A brand is just that, so imagine if you get your brand right, share your personality and tell your story to create a following of loyal customers.
A great starter to ask yourself when it comes to your business is, what business am I / are we in? Then go ahead and get all the obvious answers out of the way and then ask yourself again and think of what you really are looking to do for customers beyond what you sell and what it does. Think deeper.
Happy branding.
