Find Your Brand Identity.
Think of your brand as having a design side and a philosophical side. It is both the logo you create, and the customer experience you provide. It is the font you choose to speak to the culture you embrace. The brand is the feeling behind the product.
Bringing your brand to life in the digital space is exciting. There is a sense of freedom and accessibility to create like never before. Harness that, and utilize the fact that every facet of your brand is a representation of how you are conveying your product and purpose.
THE MARKET DEMANDS AUTHENTICITY
If you want to connect with your audience, it’s time to get real with them.
88% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they support (Stackla).
The consumers of today want to spend their money on companies they trust.
Be honest with your people.
Brand authenticity might be new to the marketing playbook, but it has slowly been weaving its way into the pillars of products and companies for a minute.
It wasn’t too long ago that consumable products didn’t require ingredients on the packaging. It also wasn’t until recently we as consumers were able to research who really was behind a brand. Or where it was made. Or how much it cost to make it.
Point blank. Consumers want businesses to care about more than profits.
THIS INCLUDES TRANSPARENCY
66% of consumers think transparency is one of the most attractive qualities in a brand (Accenture Strategy).
Consider aspects like where your brand sources product materials, how you treat your collaborators and employees, and what your product does for the world and the people in it.
Take time to discuss within your operation what level of authenticity the brand is able to consistently speak to with honesty and integrity.
The goal is to build a long-lasting community. Stay the course.
COLOR HELPS BRAND RECOGNITION
Using a signature color can increase brand recognition by 80% (Forbes).
Your choice in brand colors can impact the consumer perception of your brand in profound ways. Yellow is never a color used in airlines because it can cause dizziness and nausea. Purple is rare in nature and often associated with uniqueness and is noted to imply respect, wisdom, and luxury.
The psychology of color has long been studied in the field of marketing. Colors make you feel certain emotions with certain colors. Use the right colors to enhance your visual pillar in brand identity.
Going further, you need to choose your fonts just as carefully. There is an expansive database of options. Typography has become an art form to visually showcase your written content.
Pro-tip, choose a font that is available or importable to your marketing platform software. The tools in your warehouse for channels such as email marketing, website, blog, and social media should be utilizing the same font for brand recognition.
A Brand Kit is a powerful tool to help a brand visually comprise all chosen elements that uniquely define your voice and aesthetic. This deck provides guidelines for all departments within your marketing strategy.
Reach Out for our brand kit services.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE A BIG DEAL
It takes 1/10th of a second to form a first impression of someone (Reboot).
That is how fast our brains work. As marketers and storytellers, we need to hold that 0.05 second with great care.
There are key moments to consider when creating for your brand.
Don’t give it all away. Tell them what they need to know. Let consumers be curious enough to step in to the experience with you.
We all enjoy being sold to, but not ‘oversold’ to. Let the control be in the hands of your audience while you are gently guiding the reigns.
WHAT’S UP WITH YOUR WEBSITE?
Is it quick? Visually soothing and seamless in function? Entertaining? On brand? Elevated? Successful in completing transactions?
There are countless free platforms out there with wildly user friendly website design software. Grab yourself a website designer and commit to tending to your garden. It’s a make or break point for successful brands.
Good design requires a strong editing eye.
Consider designating an editor to ensure colors, spacing, font, amount of text, and structure are polished. Is your content SEO optimized on the website? How is the positioning on your logo? Too wordy on the copy? Does it match your brand kit guidelines? Are those image choices showing your brand the right way?
Oh what's that? You need help with that? We’d love to.
GIVE A GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
When it’s game time, you need to deliver.
73% of consumers cite customer experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions (PWC).
Place extra care into how you are received and remembered by people. Exceptional customer service is the glue connecting your heavily invested marketing efforts to the sale and brand impression.
This is where email marketing comes in strong. Aside from an astounding 42:1 ROI, this channel personifies your brand through every phase of your customer’s journey.
A strong grasp on segmenting and cadence to your clients is key. Are you reaching out after the sale? Gaining consumer insight with surveys? Educating on new products and services to a confirmed demographic? Resolving order issues in a timely and relaxed manner? Easy to get int touch with?
Pro tip for independent marketers. Choose a user friendly software like Mail Chimp or Squarespace, plug yourself in, and educate yourself on the console. It takes time, but a well utilized email database could be one of your most profitable in-house gold mines.
STAND FOR SOMETHING MORE
In a world seeking meaning, be more meaningful. I’d like to think we are all striving to stand for something bigger than our ego and bank account.
In relation to your brand strategy, 77% of consumers buy from brands that share the same values as they do (HAVAS).
You have the opportunity on a larger platform to have an impact on genuine causes. Humanize your brand and speak to what your customers care about. Get to know your audience, and support them as they support you.
Great spot to mention that Hook Media has a non-profit side. There are incredible businesses who’s core mission is to do something good for our planet and the people in it.
We want to help in providing support to get their story online, visible, and amplified.
If this is you or someone you know, we’d love to Connect.
USER-GENERATED CONTENT IS CRUCIAL
To an extent, influencer content is out and user-generated content is in. Consumers want real people giving real testimony to their experience with you.
79% of people say that user generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions (Stackla).
Consumer research is a psychology of its own and trust us, they are digging for the real dirt on you. Fear not, as you are authentic and ready for the challenge.
Utilize your social media channel(s) to get to know your audience and immerse your brand into the community. Stay consistent in message and interact on a consistent and often basis.
Commit to your audience to cultivate authentic communication and support.
BRING IT ON HOME
In conclusion, your brand is a story. Tell one that matters. Shape your products and services into a vessel for something more.
Make it count. Let us know how We Can Help.
