10 questions to ask when developing your brand identity
Most people usually get confused when talking about brand identity.
According to Marty Neumeier in his book The Brand Gap, branding is actually not about the design of your logo, products or impressions but “gut feeling about a product, service, or company.” That’s because brands are shaped by individuals – not companies themselves.
The confusion arrises when we use this word interchangeably with “identity”. We create an identity for our business which then shapes the brand in people’s minds. Sounds simple enough?
Having said that, brand identity is absolutely essential to the success of any business. A strong brand identity can help you stand out from your competitors, attract new customers, and build a loyal following.
But developing a brand identity is not an easy task and requires careful planning, research, and execution especially within your own company. To help you create a successful brand identity, whether you’re going through the process on your own or with the help of an agency, I've compiled a list of 10 questions you should ask yourself when developing your brand.
1. What are your company's mission and values?
Before you can develop your brand identity, you need to have a clear understanding of your company's mission and values. Really think about the heart of what your company is trying to accomplish as your brand identity should be aligned with your company's goals and values to ensure that your brand messaging is consistent and authentic.
2. Who is your target audience?
Knowing your target audience is crucial in developing a successful brand identity. You need to understand who your ideal customers are, what their needs and preferences are, and how you can best communicate with them.
A good place to start is thinking about their demographics (gender, age, income level, etc.) and then narrow it down from there by conducting research on their behaviours, preferences, living or working locations, and how they think / feel.
3. What are your brand's unique selling points?
Your brand's unique selling points (USPs) are what sets you apart from your competitors. Identifying these unique selling points can help you create a brand identity that is differentiated and memorable. Lean into what makes your business special and you will find that a lot of personality and story can be derived out these USPs to help you craft your visual identity and tone of voice.
USPs can be found in your company’s products/services, but you’ll be surprised that it can also come from founders’ stories, the process which you adhere to or the experience your customers bring home.
4. What are your brand's personality and tone of voice?
Your brand's personality and tone of voice will determine how your brand communicates with its audience. Are you playful and fun, or serious and professional? Understanding your brand's personality and tone of voice can help you create messaging as well as design approaches that resonate with your target audience and create desire for your products / services wight out of the gate.
5. What is your brand's visual identity?
Your brand's visual identity refers to tangible and discernible elements such as your logo, colour scheme, typography, and other design elements. It's important to create a visual identity that is consistent and in line with your brand's personality and messaging.
A simple way you can get started with this creating a list of descriptive words that you feel describe your company best and identifying 3 words that stand out the most. Once you have them, look into collecting images you can find in printed material or on the internet that fits these descriptions. You should now be able to use the images to explain the visual identity you are aiming for to your creative team or even begin developing your brand's visual identity from there.
6. How will you communicate your brand identity?
Once you have developed your brand identity, you need to think about how you will communicate it to your target audience. This may include developing a marketing strategy that includes social media, email marketing, advertising, and other channels. Depending on your company’s products, industry, and tone of voice, you can have fun with the ways you apply your brand.
For example, if you are starting a gaming accessories company, you can use influencer marketing to engage streamers to showcase your products on their content to reach the audience that you want.
7. How will you measure the success of your brand identity?
It's important to measure the success of your brand identity to ensure that it is resonating with your target audience, but the extension to this question would be “what exactly does success look like?
If you use digital marketing, you can include tracking website traffic, social media engagement, and other metrics to determine its effectiveness. Even with print media, we can now use QR codes as your call-to-action and track the number of users who scan them or measure the number of phone calls received.
These metrics are important to know as it will shape the answer to the next question.
8. How will you evolve your brand identity over time?
As much as we would like our brand identity to never have to change after all the hard work you put into its development, the reality is that it will keep evolving as long as your company is still around.
This is a necessary evil to keep your products and services relevant and meet the changing needs of your target audience. It's important to have a plan in place for how you will evolve and scale your brand identity over time as you think about it.
9. How will you ensure consistency across all channels?
Consistency is key when it comes to brand identity. You need to ensure that your messaging, visual identity, and tone of voice are consistent across all channels to create a cohesive brand experience. Large companies often face this challenge with many internal departments or teams with varying functions, as each may have a different idea of how your brand identity should be applied.
A brand identity guide or play will be useful in this case to outline the proper use of brand elements (logos, typefaces, colours, etc.) and messaging to ensure that everyone has a clearer picture of how implement them.
10. How will you integrate your brand identity into your company culture?
Finally, your brand identity should be integrated into your company culture. Your employees should understand and embrace your brand identity, and it should be reflected in all aspects of your business, from customer service to product development.
To sum up, developing a strong brand identity requires careful planning and execution, which often takes weeks if not months to accomplish. By asking yourself these 10 questions before you begin, you can save yourself time and energy in creating a brand identity that is authentic, differentiated, and resonates with your target audience.
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