This picture shows some of the world's most recognized brands. Unless you're living in a cave in an undeveloped part of the world, you know immediately who they belong to. You probably have at least some idea of what industry they're in and what they do.
This is the purpose of branding in a nutshell. Creating something that can represent your business to the world. Something that people can recognize in a glance.
Every business, no matter how small, should take the time to decide WHO they are.
I don't mean WHAT they are. Shoe Maker, Fashion Designer, Painter. Those answer the question WHAT. That part is pretty straightforward. It's important, but unless you are the one person in the world who does....whatever you do... the WHAT doesn't make you stand out.
WHO you are a business dives a little deeper, and that depth is often what appeals to individual buyers. Answering the WHO question is the first step in building a brand that people will recognize, identify with and buy from.
Let's back up a step and talk about ...
WHAT IS A BRAND?
"Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room." -Jeff Bezos
Your brand is your reputation. It embodies the way the world, including your customers see you and your business. Taking control of your brand allows you to control the narrative, to present the face you want the world to see.
The first step in the process, as I mentioned earlier is to decide for yourself WHO you are as a person (if your product is you) or as a business. In order to connect with your customers, you need to present a well-rounded persona.
Producing really nice shoes isn't enough to corner the shoe market. Lots of companies produce really nice shoes. The trick to standing out therefore, is having a really great shoe salesman. In a very real sense, your business persona is that salesman. If the customer likes him, they will buy from him.
If your online salesman is a cardboard cutout with a pair of shoes in one hand and a little sign in the other that says "Shoes on sale", he's not likely to attract a lot of buyers.
You have to flesh him out. Give him traits your customers can relate to. If your market is 30 something health fanatics who want high tech gym shoes in brand names, and will pay top dollar for them, then Sammy Salesman has to be someone like them. He can't be a portly old guy with a handlebar mustache and a cigar, or a dapper guy in a slick suit like the picture on the right. (I love the Clipart Library site)
If this is starting to sound like a bit of Hocus Pocus (sorry , I couldn't resist...it IS almost Hallowe'en), don't panic.
Branding is a real science. There are lots of sure-fire things that you can do to create the right brand and attract the right client.
"A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a customer's decision to choose one product or service over another." -Seth Godin
OKAY, WHERE DO I START?
Deciding on the persona you want to present isn't as hard as you may think. For many small businesses, that personal will be closely linked to the owner themselves. Why? Because most small business owners choose a business they feel a personal connection too. Like the Baker who grew up with Grandma's homemade treats and wanted to share them with the world. Or the Veterinarian who noticed the huge population of stray cats in the area and created a non-profit based on offering free spay and neuter services for anyone willing to take in a stray cat.
Businesses are built on the dreams, the visions and the goals of their owners. It is THIS information that will round out the company's persona and give the brand a form. (Ultimately it is also this that will define a business USP - unique selling proposition- but we will get into that in another post) The details behind the business create public interest, they make the business human and relatable.
Let's go back to my shoe salesman analogy. If there are two really great shoe stores and they both sell the same products at the same prices, how does a customer choose which one to shop at? Surprisingly, this decision is often made based purely on emotion. Which company makes them FEEL better about buying that pair of shoes?
If you're scratching your head and thinking I'm crazy right now, let me explain...
Let's say the customer in this case happens to believe strongly in helping others. If one of those businesses has a brand identity that is known for, say....donating winter boots to kids in need each year... there is a very good chance the customer will buy from them. They will automatically choose the company who shares their values and beliefs.
Understanding your vision for the future, your dreams and goals, your mission and your values when it comes to your business is step one. Telling them to the world ... that's step two. THAT is how you answer the WHY question.
It's not only about WHY you do what you do. It's also about WHY they should buy from you instead of the other guy.
Let's look at some examples.
Starbucks- I absolutely love Starbucks Coffee, but if I'm being really honest...it's a pretty expensive cup of coffee. So why do I fork out $5-7 when I could go to Tim Hortons down the road and spend $2? It's all about the branding.
This might actually be a bad comparison because Tim Hortons has really upped their game in the last year, but I'm going to follow it through anyhow...
There is one thing that Starbucks is known for (beside pumpkin spice EVERYTHING in the fall), and that is its Social Conscience. Originally they based most of this on ethical buying practices when it comes to their coffee beans. While many companies took advantage of third world coffee growers, buying beans as cheaply as possible, Starbuck stepped up. They promised to pay fair prices and to help poor communities maintain sustainable practices. That immediately gave their brand a reputation for fairness, generosity and sustainability.
I fork out the extra money for my frothy treat because I tell myself I'm helping a poor bean farmer in Argentina feed his family. It makes me feel good. Starbucks continuously finds new ways to maintain this reputation. They change and grow and adapt and it works because millions of people CHOOSE to pay more for their products.
Toms
Is there anyone in North America who isn't familiar with Toms Shoes?
What's the first thing you think of when I mention them? If their branding campaign worked, then you should be thinking about charity.
Toms has separated itself from the crowd by dedicating a percentage of their profits to the less fortunate. They are a company on a mission and they make that mission VERY clear.
Here is a a quote taken from their website...
"We believe in a future where all people have the chance to thrive. That’s why we invest ⅓ of our profits in grassroots efforts, like organizations creating change at the local level, and driving progress from the ground up."
How does this type of branding help them succeed? They give buyers the option to do good without any additional effort on their part. It's like saying "Hey, if you're going to buy shoes anyways, why not buy from us so we can help someone else?" You almost feel BAD for choosing the other guys shoes.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting you have to follow suit to succeed. The point that I'm trying to make is that being recognized as a company is as much (or more) about WHO you are as it is about WHAT you do. So, make sure your brand reflects the goals, beliefs and ideals behind it.
Okay, I think I understand. What's this about science?
So this is where it gets interesting. Once you have decided who you are and how you want to represent yourself, you need a way to help your customers understand it. Remember how I said a while ago that people tend to buy with their emotions?
We as a species have evolved to react to certain stimuli. Certain images can evoke powerful emotions. So can colours, sounds and smells. Do you see a trend here? Our senses collect information from the world around us and our brain interprets that information and then reacts accordingly. For years scientists have been studying these reactions and they can predict them with a large degree of precision. So, if we know how a certain colour makes us feel, we can use that to create the feeling we want them to have, right?
How does this work for branding?
First off, Colour Psychology is a thing. To the right you will see a basic breakdown of what each colour represents and/or the emotions that it evokes. You can click on the picture itself to learn more.
SO, let's say for an example that you have a Spa and you intend to use only naturally sourced, organic products for your treatments. You also intend to offer services and treatments that will help your customers de-stress, and develop a sense of well-being.
You want your brand to evoke a feeling of calm, and peace. You also want to give a sense that your products are all-natural.
If you look on the colour chart, you will see that green and brown are the colours that most closely match the feeling you want to evoke.
Stop for a minute and think about your local spa. Is their logo a combination of green and brown? Probably.
We relate the colour green to nature (hardly surprising), to growth and freshness. It evokes feelings of calm and peace, so it's perfect for a spa, especially one with all-natural products.
Brown brings to mind the earth (again- that just makes sense) and nature. It also evokes images of stability and reliability. Picture the big oak tree you used to climb or the tree fort you had as a kid. Brown makes us feel safe and calm.
Now this isn't enough to work with because the intensity of the colour also evokes feelings. If you want to visitors to immediately feel a sense of calm and peace, the colour scheme on your site should be light, soft tones of green and brown, and probably a soft white colour a well. Intense colours (ones with more pigment) create intense emotions.
It's starting to make more sense now, isn't it? Once you identify the colours that represent your brand identity, you want to use them consistently across everything you do. Your website, your logo, business cards, product labels...EVERYTHING. Consistency is key! You want people to recognize the design and colour scheme and connect it with your business.
Every. Single. Thing that you do across all your various media, social media platforms...whatever should have a very consistent look and feel to it. Including the images you use on your site, your labels and your social media posts. This is who you are and who you want them to see. Make sure they see it, and see it as often as possible, so that it sticks in their mind.
Whew! Okay, So that is branding in a nutshell. Thinking of it as a person can help you relate a bit better to it. Give it a name, think about what car it might drive, what it looks for in a girlfriend/boyfriend. The more you understand your persona or Brand Identity, the better chance you will have of giving it a voice and letting it speak.
Stay tuned for the next post about Branding because your brand voice is important too. That's step 3!
Toodles for now!
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. If you would like to talk to me about we can build your Brand Identity, click here.
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