Brand Identity: What Is It And Why Is It Important?
When starting up a business of any kind, creating a strong brand identity is so important. And no, when we say this we don’t just mean creating a catchy name and logo, your brand identity needs to be so much more than this.
With so many businesses out there trying to make a name for themselves, and quite literally thousands more appearing every day, you need to give yourself the best possible chance of standing out from the crowd and winning customers.
This is where your brand identity comes in and in this guide, we’re going to take a look at what it is. We’ll also share the elements that make up a strong brand identity and why it is so important for the success of your business.
Read on to find out more.
What is brand identity?
Brand identity is crucial but not complex once you understand it.
Think about it, everyone has their own identity. It’s what makes you who you are and makes you recognisable to those who know you. Well, brand identity should do the same thing for your business.
It is not just one visual component or your name, but rather a careful combination of elements that portray an image and a promise to your customers. It is like your brand’s personality and values, it’s how you communicate the goods or services you have on offer and what you want people to think and feel when they interact with your brand.
In a nutshell, the purpose of building a strong brand identity is to build a connection between your business and your audience. It helps to strengthen customer perceptions and loyalty. This is why your identity must always be clear and consistent.
It’s also worth noting that your branding and your brand’s image are not the same as your identity. These terms are often used interchangeably but do not encompass all the same elements. We’ll look at what elements make up your brand identity in the next section.
What elements make up your brand identity?
We’ve begun to touch on the different ‘elements’ that make up brand identity, but what exactly are these different elements and what are they for? Well, the most important features that come together to shape your brand identity, include:
- Brand purpose and positioning
- Brand personality
- A memorable logo
- An attractive colour palette
- Professional typography
- Supporting graphic designs and images
All of these elements together must complement and reinforce the reputation of your brand. What’s more, these elements must help to attract new customers, whilst also making existing customers feel familiar and welcome.
Why is brand identity important?
There are a number of reasons why brand identity is so important for the success of your business. We’ve already started to touch on these above, but we’ll now look in more detail at why you need to get every element just right.
To build your brand personality
First and foremost, your brand identity uses visuals to represent the values and personality of your brand. This is why it is so important to put careful thought into every design element, from logos to your website, to ensure it conveys and communicates your desired message and promotes your business goals.
Not only that, but each element also contributes towards the overall tone of your business and therefore, should reflect the goods or services you offer. Again, this all contributes towards building your brand personality.
To create brand awareness
Your brand identity is used on all marketing materials, from your website and press coverage to your social media and packaging. As a result, your brand identity is vital for creating awareness of your business, whether that’s your goods or services.
This helps to make your brand recognisable and ensures you get more exposure. This can ultimately lead to an increase in sales from both new and existing customers.
To create brand consistency
As well as personality and awareness, your brand identity is also crucial for creating consistency. A solid and constant brand is important for getting your message across to consumers and creating beautiful consistent marketing materials.
This means that every webpage, graphic design, social media post and marketing material needs to be the same style and font, and must be easily recognisable as your brand. This helps customers and the public, in general, to instantly identify your products or any content and materials that have come out of your business.
To stand out from the competition
Your brand identity plays a huge role in setting you apart from other businesses in your industry and can help to differentiate you from the competition.
This is crucial as you want your goods or services to stand out from those that are similar, to ensure that customers choose your business over others on the market. Essentially, your brand identity is what makes you unique and could be the reason that consumers buy from you and not someone else.
To create loyalty
Finally, by creating an attractive and recognisable brand identity, it becomes much easier to build a loyal customer base. Having an influential and enjoyable brand identity also helps consumers to connect with your business and any content or materials you share.
This helps to grow your business and ensures that customers keep coming back to your company and that you keep beating out the competition.
Perfecting your brand identity
If you haven’t already, you need to perfect your brand identity. But if you’re not sure how to create a brand identity that is going to ensure success for your business, it could be worth employing professional services to help you.
This might be a graphic designer, marketing professional, copywriter, web developer or branding agency. Whatever services you require, never rush your branding and make sure you work carefully on your identity.
You can also continue to strengthen this over time as your brand becomes more established.
