We’re always being told how important it is to create a strong brand identity. But why is it so challenging? Why is it so easy to get distracted and overwhelmed by all the ideas, options, and opportunities?
I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Creating a brand is more than just a logo and an advertising campaign; it’s about connecting with your audience on a deeper level. A brand’s identity and positioning are the two key components that ensure customers understand what your business is all about. A clear understanding of your brand’s identity, core values, and mission, as well as its target market, will help you define how your brand should be positioned in the market. Let’s take a look at how these three elements work together to give your business a complete branding makeover.
What is Brand Identity?
A brand identity is a logo, colors, tone of voice, etc., that defines a brand. In other words, it’s the external representation of your business that consumers interact with daily. Consumers are 91% more likely to buy products or services from businesses they know and trust with a strong brand identity. A strong brand identity is not just about aesthetics. It’s about creating a “story” that your target market can connect with, learn about, and ultimately, buy from. It’s about creating a memorable experience for your audience that’ll leave a lasting impression.
While adding color, typography, and images to your logo may give your brand a fresh new look, it’s still branded identity. You are not creating a logo for the sake of having a logo. Your brand identity is supposed to be a visual representation of your brand and draw people into your world so they can experience what you have to offer.
What is Brand Positioning?
Positioning is the external context within which your brand identity takes shape. Positioning is what customers see when they first hear about your brand. It sets the stage for the brand experience by guiding the initial thoughts and feelings associated with your brand. As the most important part of your branding journey, you can think of positioning as the foundation of your building. It’s the core values and values associated with your brand that will form the walls and roof of your business. Positioning is a combination of internal and external factors that shape how customers perceive your brand. Internal factors include your brand’s core values, who you are, and what you do, as well as how you want to be perceived. External factors include your competitors, industry, and overall market trends.
How Branding and Positioning Are Linked
The branding and positioning process starts with defining your brand’s identity, values, and mission. Next, you’ll create the brand’s logo and visual identity. From there, you’ll launch an integrated marketing campaign that includes advertising, sales, and customer service strategies. Once your brand is fully branded, you’ll move into positioning by defining where you plan to compete in the market and positioning your brand concerning your competitors. At this point, you’ll begin building awareness for your brand through various marketing channels. And, finally, you’ll transition into maintaining the brand by monitoring how your strategy plays out over time to ensure success.
How to Find the Right Brand positioning for your business
When it comes to determining the right brand positioning for your business, you’ll first want to understand your target market. What do they want from your business? What do they care about? From there, you can conduct a brand audit to see how your customers are interacting with your brand. What are customers saying about your brand? What are they using your brand for? What are they posting on social media? From these insights, you can find the right brand positioning for your business. When trying to find the right brand positioning, you’ll consider your competitors and the overall market trends. What are your competitors doing? What are customers saying about your competitors? What are competitors using on social media? From these factors, you can find the right brand positioning for your business.
Which is most important? It depends on your goals.
Understanding your brand’s identity, core values, and mission will help you define how your brand should be positioned in the market. From there, you can find the right brand positioning for your business by considering your competitors and the overall market trends. Once you’ve determined your brand’s identity, core values, and mission, as well as their fit within your industry, you can find the right brand positioning. From there, you can think about your competitors and the overall market trends to determine your brand’s right brand positioning.
Bottom line
A brand’s identity and positioning are the two key components that ensure customers understand what your business is all about. A clear understanding of your brand’s identity, core values, and mission, as well as its target market, will help you define how your brand should be positioned in the market. A strong brand identity is not just about aesthetics; it’s about creating a “story” that your target market can connect with, learn about, and ultimately, buy from. The process of creating a brand’s identity and its positioning begins with defining your brand’s identity, core values, and mission. From there, you’ll create the brand’s logo and visual identity.
Next, you’ll launch an integrated marketing campaign that includes advertising, sales, and customer service strategies. Once your brand is fully branded, you’ll move into positioning by defining where you plan to compete in the market and positioning your brand concerning your competitors. At this point, you’ll begin building awareness for your brand through various marketing channels. And, finally, you’ll transition into maintaining the brand by monitoring how your strategy plays out over time to ensure success.
It’s no secret that building a brand can be incredibly difficult. It requires creativity and a lot of hard work. Unfortunately, many companies lose sight of that along the way. They end up sacrificing the principles that made them great and end up putting out mediocre work instead. It’s incredibly frustrating, and it’s why it’s so important for us to keep those values in mind.
