By Tracy James Creative Director, Business Communications
A
BUSINESS
brand is not a logo. I like the expression, ‘a brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room’. Establishing a brand requires careful thought and attention, and maintaining a brand needs continuous effort and care. Brands are just like relationships. After all, branding is about the relationship you are establishing and building with your clients and customers. Who do you think you’re talking to? The first thing to consider in establishing a brand involves identifying your audience or target market (or several different audiences). What is it they need or want from your business? (Maybe they don’t know they need or want it yet!) What do you want them to think or feel when they think of your brand? The customer experience begins with your brand. Your brand has a personality If your brand were a person, how would people describe them? An insurance company
might have a brand personality that could be described as trustworthy, reliable, caring and helpful. Whereas a funky clothing brand might be seen as playful, cheeky, daring, irreverent. It’s important to take these personality traits or brand attributes into consideration when the brand identity is being developed. Walk the walk, talk the talk These personality traits inform both the visual look and feel (colours, typography, imagery and logo) and the tone of voice - the language used to communicate to your audience. When any communication goes out to your audience, whether it be a social post, an ad, an email or a brochure, it’s important to tick the boxes and make sure the piece is true to the brand personality. This will ensure your brand feels authentic and help your customers to build a solid relationship with your brand. Messaging must always be consistent for your audience to build trust.