Imagine this: You’ve got the perfect product, rave reviews, and a website that pulls in traffic like a magnet. Your marketing strategy is firing on all cylinders – SEO is on point, ads are converting, and happy customers are singing your praises online.

However, even with all of these components of a great marketing strategy in place, you are missing out if you aren’t leveraging what could be your organization’s biggest asset: brand identity.

Be Seen: What is brand identity?

If you haven’t heard of brand identity before, let’s run through the basics. At a very high level, brand identity is the essence of your brand – the personality, values, and emotions that it evokes. It’s the story you tell about your brand and the promises you make to your customers.

Take Coca-Cola, for example. Their brand identity isn’t just about selling sugary drinks. It’s about capturing the essence of fun, community, and connection.  Their marketing paints a picture: people of all ages, sharing laughter and good times, Coke in hand. This emotional connection transcends just a quick sale, it creates a lasting association between Coca-Cola and those positive experiences. So, the next time someone plans a fun outing – a theme park visit, a restaurant dinner, or even just hanging out with friends – Coca-Cola becomes the natural beverage choice, thanks to the powerful link they’ve built in the consumer’s mind.

Few businesses have the resources to scale this type of large-scale brand identity rollout, but there is a big lesson here for small and midsize businesses: don’t underestimate the power of creating a lasting brand identity. There’s no upper limit to the value you can create by cultivating strong, positive associations in your customers’ minds.

Be Remembered: How a strong brand identity can boost your marketing success

Though the ability to create strong, positive feelings associated with your brand is the ultimate, high-level goal, there are some smaller, more defined benefits to building a brand identity that can help your organization right now:

• Instant Credibility: Consistency is key. When potential customers see a unified brand identity across everything you do, from your website to your social media, they perceive you as a professional and reliable organization. This consistency builds more than just trust; it fosters a sense of security and confidence in your brand.
• Sharper Marketing Focus: Forget scattershot marketing. A strong brand identity gives your marketing a clear direction. You know exactly what story you want to tell and to whom you’re telling it. This allows you to craft focused, impactful messages across all your online content, ads, and social media.
• Enhanced Recognition: A clear brand identity makes you instantly recognizable. Both new and existing customers can easily identify you in a crowded marketplace, thanks to your consistent voice and visuals.

Get Started: How do you develop a strong brand identity?

Now that you know exactly how a strong brand identity can help your organization, it’s time to get to work.

The first step to creating a brand identity is often the hardest as you must clearly define your brand values: What core principles guide your business? What do you stand for? It is important to fully flesh out what matters to your company on a very high level and very specifically to the groups and communities you want to serve, as this will help guide your efforts in the future.

Once you have identified what matters to your company, and who you want to serve, it is tine to specifically identify your target audience: Who are you trying to reach with your marketing? Which groups or communities do you think will respond best to your brand identity? If you’re feeling unsure about this step, it may be time to do some market research to see what resonates with whom. You may be surprised by some of the results!

From here, the rest of the process should fall into place organically as you craft a unique brand voice and a consistent visual identity that supports your identity and makes you instantly recognizable to customers. This is another area where any uncertainty can be eliminated by strong market research and A/B testing among your target. demographics.

A strong brand identity is a powerful and essential marketing tool for achieving your business goals. However, it’s not something that can be developed overnight, and the process of creating a successful brand identity that can propel your organization into the future can seem daunting. E29 Marketing is proud to have helped organizations just like yours craft impactful and resonant brand identities, and we’d be happy to help you too! Drop us a line today and let’s chat about your organization, your goals, and how we can help!