What Is My "Brand Identity" Anyways?

When it comes to marketing, there are so many things to keep in mind. Who is your target audience? Which platforms do we need to have a presence on? What message will resonate most with my customers? All of these are of course important, but there is one thing that often doesn’t always receive the attention it deserves... your brand identity.

You may be asking yourself, isn’t my brand just my company logo that I use to distinguish myself from others? While that is true, it’s only part of it. Your brand identity is essentially the simple and clear answer of who you are and what you can provide for someone. Seems easy enough, right? Well actually, most people struggle with this or have difficulty doing it well. If done correctly, a good brand can completely shape how you, your employees, your customers, and any other stakeholders perceive your company.

A good brand tells a clear story and is understood easily and quickly. But most importantly, it’s authentic. You can’t be vague and you certainly can’t mislead. A strong brand also establishes a promise not only to your customers but to yourself. Having a clearly defined brand allows your company internally to stay focused on what is most important, and it establishes an overarching goal to strive to reach each day.

Having trouble defining your brand? Start by asking yourself the following two questions:

“Why do we do what we do?” and “How are we different from our competitors?”

By beginning to answer those two questions, you will start to more clearly define your own brand identity and in turn, be able to provide more clarity to your customers. This is more crucial now than ever before. In fact, 63 percent of consumers say they want to buy products and services from companies that have a purpose that resonates with their values and belief systems.

It can be tempting to start listing common corporate buzz words when attempting to define your brand, but remember to stay authentic and true to yourself by taking a hard look at yourself internally. You’ll be surprised at how much clarity it will bring to all the other difficult decisions you face on a daily basis!

If you’re interested in learning more about defining your own brand identity, let us know!