Building your Brand Identity

“Branding is what people say about you when you are not in the room”.

Jeff Bezos.

Building your brand identity is one of the primary things to look out for when starting up a business.

With over an estimated 3 billion internet users on social media, many SMEs are trying to showcase their identity, produce and services to the world using this medium, so as to generate leads and prospects, with the ultimate goal of converting them to customers.

The internet users are also weary of patronizing these start-ups due to an alarming increase in the rate of cyber and other internet related crimes.

The big question is how does one build a brand identity that people would come to believe and reckon with?

What is a brand?

A brand is a name, product, design, symbol, service or concept that publicly distinguishes you from other competitors.

The term brand and logo are often used interchangeable, though a logo can be the symbol of a business, it is not the entirety of a brand. Creating a logo is just a small step towards developing a strong brand.

Your logo should be able to communicate visually the intent of your business

What is brand identity?

A brand identity  is made up of what your brand say, what your values are, how you communicate your product and what you want people to feel when the interact with it.

Your brand identity is essentially the personality of your business and a promise to your customers, and is therefore crucial to the business future.

Building your Brand Identity: Components of a well-developed brand

1. The face of your business
   The face of your business is your brand’s logo for all intent and purposes.
2. Credibility and trust
   Having a brand identity doesn’t just make your product memorable; it makes your brand more authoritative in the market place.
   A brand that establishes a face and maintains that face considerable over time develops credibility among its competitors and trust among its customers.
3. Your company’s vision and mission
   Every traveller going to a new place needs a form of guidance or direction to get to their destination. So also, your vision and mission statement are the compass of your business.
4. Advertising impressions
   The first stage of a buyers journey is awareness, people must first learn about your business before they can patronize you. A brands identity is a template for everything you will include in an advertisement for your business. A brand with a face and industry credibility is well prepared to promote itself and make impressions on potential customers.

Related: How to Validate your Business Idea

Build your brand loyalty now

Brand loyalty is the positive feelings towards a brand and dedication to purchase the same product or service repeatedly, regardless of a competitor’s actions or changes in the environment. It can also be demonstrated with other behaviors such as positive word-of-mouth advocacy.

1. Research your audience, value proposition and competition: This insight is very important when trying to build a credible brand.
2. Design your logo and a template for it: Most times looking at the logo of some start-ups, it does not communicate the intent and psychology behind their business, and this is a very critical factor in building your brands loyalty.
3. Integrate languages you can use to connect, advertise and embody on social media.

Brand Recognition

Brand recognition is the extent to which a consumer can correctly identify a particular product or service just by viewing the product or service’s logo, tag line, packaging or advertising campaign. Brand recognition can also be triggered via an audio cue, such as a jingle or theme song associated with a brand.

           A good product they say generates customers, but a good brand generates advocates.