Whether you’re running a business or planning to start one, I’m quite sure you must have come across the word branding. Everyone wants to talk about branding, how they can brand their business, and what to do to make their business stand out, but only a few understand what it is and how they can make the most of it to improve their business.
What is branding?
For most people who have zero background in marketing, the idea of a brand is usually abstract and a little hazy. Some would think it has to do with passion, hard work, or the energy you put into your business. Unfortunately, none of those is correct. The simplest definition of branding would be the way your business is perceived as well as the elements put together to create that perception. Branding can also be described as the feeling your audience or potential customers have when they come across your marketing materials, or interact with you.
Whenever branding is mentioned, most people tend to think that all you need is a Logo. Yes, a logo is an essential part of branding but it’s not the only thing needed for branding your business. If you decide to move forward with just a logo when starting a business, then you will be missing out on the full potential of what you can accomplish for your business with branding.
Branding can be tough! To get it right with branding, you must have a good grasp of the message you want to send out regarding your business as well as what you want your customers to get from your business. To successfully do this, you’ll need to establish the key parts and one of the key parts of branding you must establish is the brand elements. Further down we’ll be discussing what they are and the 6 important ones you must establish to get your business up and running.
What are Brand Identity Elements?
We could simply describe brand elements as those aspects of your brand that are unique to your business. They are those elements that create an image or perception for your brand and make your business recognizable whenever anyone comes across any of these elements. In simple words, they are those brand characteristics that make you stand out from your competitors.
There are many brand elements however, for this article, we’ll be concentrating on just 6 of them which are the key branding elements your business needs to grow.
Personality
Establishing your brand personality is a great way to start building your business brand. Personality is simply the key characteristic that describes your business in a personified manner. To establish your business brand personality, you have to take the time to identify 4 to 5 adjectives that describe your business. Use these adjectives as a guide to the tone and voice you use whenever you’re putting out anything regarding your business. Putting things out also includes your marketing materials like business cards, social media flyers, posters, and hand flyers. When you do this consistently, your brand will be consistent with those adjectives, characteristics, and values which will get people to see your business in that manner. Gradually they’ll identify that consistency build their trust in your business.
Logo
As one of the most recognizable images of any business or brand, Logo is one of the essential brand elements every business must have. It is the simplest form of graphic representation of any brand using a mark or symbol. When you consistently use your logo on everything that concerns your business; your website, emails, social media handles, flyers, call cards etc., your audience will start to recognize your brand whenever they see the logo. Logos can be image or text-based. However, what matters is the ability to make it simple in a way that it’s unique and easily recognized. Designing a logo requires a thought process and most times the help of a graphic designer.
Graphic and Images
Another way you can build your brand identity is by using defined graphic patterns and images. Defining graphic and image elements for your brand could be tough since it should be evident in all the brand elements that make your business unique. For example, Logo is a graphic you should include in your emails, images you share online as well as newsletters or brochures.
When you share images on social media, you should have a particular style that is consistent with all the images. For example, you could choose to have a filter over your images or consistently crop them. When you do this, your audience should be able to spot your brand even if they are not interested in reading post details while scrolling through the feed of social media.
Color Scheme
One of the first elements you need to establish for your brand is the color scheme. This is critical because it has to be applied to all the other visual branding elements you’ll create. For example, your brand color scheme has to be integrated into your logo, your letterheads, business cards, magazines, etc. Consistency with your brand color scheme creates a mark that triggers brand recognition in the brain whenever people come across anything related to your business.
Typography
This refers to the fonts used in all your business-related materials. To create a cohesive perception with your branding, it’s beneficial to consistently use a selected set of fonts whenever you’re putting out anything about your business. This will help your audience easily recognize your brand once they see it and also give your business a cohesive look.
Tone and Voice
Tone and voice in this context don’t necessarily refer to audio. Rather, it’s about how your business sounds when you’re trying to communicate with your audience in your marketing materials. It could be humorous, nurturing, motivative, or even funny. Are you overly professional or relaxed in a way that vibes more with your targeted persona? Whatever your business sounds like is a brand element that the audience can relate to and easily recognize when you become consistent with it. Therefore, it’s important to pick and stay consistent with a tone and voice that appropriately represents your brand and what your business stands for.
In conclusion…
Brand identity elements are one of the keys to building a successful brand for your business. To establish these elements, you have to choose carefully, making sure that your choices align with your brand and your business. Graphics materials like business cards, signages, and roll-up banners can easily be designed and printed consistent with your brand elements using online printing services like Printsouq.
In the end, your ability to stay consistent with these brand elements defines your brand and makes your business stand out among your competitors.