In any big or small business, branding is everything. It tells your customers who you are, what you do and creates emotional connections. It’s powerful, but your brand identity is more than your logo, packaging and labelling and graphics. To help you work out yours and make the most of it in 2021, let’s look at:
- Brand Identity explained
- Researching for success
- Creating assets and stories
- Is a Branding Agency worth it?
- Final tips to make your mark
Don’t put it off or do the minimum, revitalise your small business brand today and see the impact in full…
Brand Identity explained
Businesses and agencies talk about this all the time, but let’s be clear about it:
What is a brand identity?
In short, a brand identity is the identity of your business. From the way it looks, to how it makes someone feel, how it sounds and what it stands for. If your brand were a person, it would be everything that makes them, them.
- The look: this includes the logo, the website, the packaging, the style guide and more
- The feel: this is the brand story, the values, the ethos and emotional connection
- The attitude: this one is about the marketing material and how you put the brand across.
Here is an example: McDonald’s
They have a simple brand in terms of visuals – the classic golden M and bright red background. This simple use of primary colours appeals to all age groups and helps them stand out and stay memorable.
Then you have the ‘I’m lovin it’ slogan, the relatable advertising and the upbeat music. These are catchy, youthful and happy to help draw in the core audience without discrimination against any others.
McDonald's work with the idea of simple, quick and happy, which feeds into every aspect of their brand. From the colours to the short wait for their fast food, to the design of their happy meals – it’s simple, quick and you know what you are going to get.
Researching for success
Before you start out redesigning and rebranding, you need to do your research. Work out what is working, what you need to change and if your current identity expresses what you stand for.
First up: Talk to your employees
Every day they deal with customers, enquiries and issues – if anyone is going to know your current pain points or things that could be improved or even that worked, it is your employees.
Next: Look at your customers and their behaviour
Think about your best sellers. Try to figure out what your customers think of you and what they like and dislike. Knowing who this will help you cater for them better, so analyse your data and maybe even throw out a survey or two and see what you can find out.
Finally: Check out the competition
What are similar businesses doing that you are not? Can you take any inspiration from them or is there a gap in the market that none of them covers? Find out what is missing in your market and think about how you could plug the gap and find your niche.
You should use all this information to inform your improvements and changes. Think about:
- What you are known for
- What you can champion to stand out
- Your values and how they line up with your customers
After your initial research, you might think that’s it. However, your brand should be an ever-evolving thing to stay current and valuable, so think about revisiting this research now and then to see if anything new pops up.
Creating assets and stories
After all the researching and soul-searching is done, it’s time to rebrand using everything you have learned as a base.
We recommend you start with your story and values. Research suggests that millennials consider your values very highly in their purchasing decisions, so if they are your preferred customer base, make sure you show you agree with them. This could be by sharing your ethos on your website, using eco-friendly packaging materials or through your charitable affiliations.
Then there are your assets. With a rebrand you should rework these things as a minimum:
- Your colour palettes and style guide
- Your typography and photography
- Your logo and icons
- Your tone of voice
- Your website
- Your marketing materials
- Your packaging
If you’re going to do it yourself, just remember to keep in clear and consistent across the board – you need to commit to it.
Is a Branding Agency worth it?
To save you time and ensure a professional and consistent finish across the board, some people employ a branding agency to take care of it for them. They can usually undertake the whole project from start to finish, research to launch. It could be a smart option to take if you are strapped for time. And they are not as expensive as you might think. Why not look around at your local agencies and make a few enquiries?
Final tips to make your mark
- Simple is better – choose fewer colours and a minimal design for a versatile logo that can be used across your materials. A good way to test a design is to see how it might look in a stamp. If it’s not clear and legible, maybe simplify a bit?
- Budget, budget, budget – make sure you keep track of your spending for all your branding and marketing. You don’t want to spend more than allocated or available.
- Build professional relationships – copywriters, designers, social media experts, there are loads of them out there and they’re not all expensive.
- Continue your research and stay updated – you could add in ‘listening tools’ like Google Trends as well to stay current, and make sure you keep your content online fresh.
Your SME brand identity can help you stand out from your competitors and become more appealing to your customers. So, fresh those graphics and that packaging and labelling, or give that branding agency a call. Soon you’ll be feeling revitalised and ready to take on whatever 2021 has to throw at your small business.
