June 2021
BETTE R BUSI N ESS
BRAND NEW
THINKING Is your advice firm’s brand up to the mark? Faith Liversedge suggests that sometimes it pays to think small as she highlights why paying attention to the detail – the tiny things we so often overlook – can make such a difference to business success
T
here are a hundred different elements that make up a company’s brand. Well, maybe not a hundred, but there are certainly lots of them. What I mean is, a brand is more than
just a logo.
There are many more imperceptible, almost invisible elements that contribute to a company’s image, which means there are a lot more ways for you and your firm to be judged. We, as consumers, are now highly sensitised to a wide range of elements that can tell us about the company we might engage with, and therefore influence our decision. So let’s take a look at some of those more ‘sensory’ aspects. TAKE SOUND With more and more of us plugging ourselves into music, podcasts and TV on-the-go, at the gym and who knows where else, we’re generally finding that listening is a convenient, efficient and enjoyable way to take in information and / or be entertained. But it’s also a way of getting right to the emotions – just think of how music can provoke a response.
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We, as consumers, are now highly sensitised to a wide range of elements that can tell us about the company we might engage with, and therefore influence our decision
So the strategic use of sound can play an important role in differentiating your service, and building trust. What do I mean by this? Well, lots of people use ‘hold’ music on their phone lines, but does your playlist reflect who you are as a business? Or is it just the default choice? This is an opportunity to decide whether something tranquil and classical or upbeat and modern suits who you are and who you want to work. All of these tiny clues can subtly help to create one impression or another of your business – at potentially a crucial point of the onboarding process. Video voiceovers are another area to consider. A recent Facebook IQ study confirmed that 80% of story adverts with voice-over or music led to better results than adverts without sound. But who should you choose? Again, people
I FAmagazine.com
