Your brand has never been more important than it is today. In an increasingly competitive environment to attract new customers and new employees, your brand represents the heart of your business.
Many organisations see their brand as a logo, tagline, key messages and a visual identity that can be used for marketing and sales. But applied to its full force, your brand should represent your purpose, vision, mission, personality and values. It should guide your organisation internally and share an external voice that represents your promise. Your brand should set you apart from competitors, build trust and credibility, and foster emotional connections with customers and employees.
There are two fundamental aspects to brand formation and continuation that should be front of mind – brand development and brand management. Brand development involves the strategic process of creating and establishing/re-establishing a brand, including defining the brand’s purpose, vison, mission, personality, values and identity. On the other hand, brand management involves the ongoing efforts to maintain, nurture, and evolve a brand over time, ensuring consistency, relevance, and resonance with the target audience.
Understanding brand development
Research and analysis
Start by conducting thorough market research to understand your target audience, competitors, industry trends and market dynamics. It’s important to analyse your customers’ behaviour, preferences and paint points to identify opportunities for differentiation and brand positioning. Make sure to clearly outline your objectives, define your ideal customer profile, and recognise your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.
Brand strategy
To create a clear and compelling brand strategy that resonates with your target audience, you need to define your brand purpose, values, positioning and personality. You should develop a brand value proposition that articulates your purpose and reason for your brand’s existence beyond just making a profit. Brand values represent the core principles and beliefs that guide your brand’s behaviour, decisions, and interactions with stakeholders. How your brand is positioned defines how your brand is perceived vs. competitors in the minds of your target audience.
Brand identity
Creating visual elements such as a logo, colours, typography, and brand messaging are crucial for establishing a strong and cohesive brand identity. Start by brainstorming ideas and concepts that reflect your brand’s identity, values, and positioning. Then choose a colour palette that reflects your brand personality, resonates with your target audience, and differentiates your brand from competitors. It’s important to select fonts and develop a tone of voice that reflects this too.
Brand launch
Introducing a new brand to the market and building initial awareness requires a strategic and multifaceted approach. It’s key to have a brand launch strategy in place, compelling brand assets created and that you utilise multiple marketing channels. Not only that, but you should also generate a buzz through PR and media outreach, implement digital marketing campaigns, engage with your audience, and not to forget – track and measure your results!
Exploring brand management
Monitor and track
Tracking brand performance and monitoring brand metrics such as brand awareness, recall, perception and loyalty is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of your brand strategy. You should also be regularly reviewing and analysing customer feedback, staying informed about industry news and market trends and following relevant blogs, podcasts and thought leaders in your industry. By integrating data from various sources, you’ll be able to identify patterns and implement strategic insights for your brand.
Consistency is key
There are numerous ways you can keep your brand consistent to make sure all your touchpoints are aligned to achieve a cohesive brand identity. This includes developing brand guidelines, training your team, stressing the importance of brand standards and organising your brand assets into a system which is easy to access for everyone who needs it. You could also try implementing a review and approval process, regularly auditing your brand touchpoints, providing templates and tools and gathering feedback from stakeholders, customers and your internal team.
Communication
Managing brand messaging, storytelling and engagement with stakeholders involves crafting compelling narratives that resonate with your audience. You need to be communicating consistently across various channels and fostering meaningful interactions to build trust and loyalty. Nail this and you’ll be flying!
Positive experiences
Delivering consistent and positive experiences is essential for building brand loyalty and fostering long-term relationships with your customers. One way you can do this is by investing time into understanding your customer’s needs, preferences and pain points through market research and surveys. You should also clearly articulate your brand promise – try personalising your customer interactions, prioritise excellent customer service and create memorable experiences.
By staying transparent and authentic, you can create advocates who will champion your brand to others! Ultimately, your brand is about shaping perceptions, influencing decisions, and driving long-term success in the market.
What next?
Do you need support to develop your brand strategy and identity? Embrace Marketing has extensive expertise in brand strategy, value propositions and brand identity development for B2B and not-for-profit organisations. Email hello@weareembrace.com for an initial chat or visit our branding page for more on our approach.
This latest thinking article was written by:
Katie Hargreaves
Content Manager
