Branding is more than just your logo or tagline. It deeply roots in how clients or target markets perceive your product and how it moves them. In creating a strong brand, it is very important to create a corporate identity that will stick and last in the minds of your clients for a very long period of time, and not just for a couple of months or years.
Creating a corporate identity can be very challenging nowadays, especially when social media platforms are widely utilized. However, you should be able to use it to your advantage. But first, you need to focus on the following tips to ensure that your brand has a strong corporate identity and brand guidelines.
1. Determine your audience
First, you have to determine who is your audience and what do you want to do for them. When identifying your audience, you need to be specific. Identify them according to gender, age bracket, geography, marital status, education attainment, and employment. By doing this, you will be able to narrow down your style, media, language, and elements to use in building your corporate identity. Quicksprout has a quick review on how to determine your target audience.
2. Determine the value you offer
Your product value, also known as value proposition, is more than the price clients pay for it. It is the relationship you create with clients the moment they avail your product or service. It is something that moves your clients and addresses their problems and needs. ConversionXL has some valuable tips on how to create useful value propositions.
3. Do your homework
Research. Research. And more research. Understand corporate identity and brand elements from history, down to its functions and promotions. Learn what your target clients are expecting from you and how you can deliver.
4. Build relationship
Just like in any relationship, you have to invest it in before it becomes stable. The same goes for your company. You need to invest in your corporate identity to build your branding and create a stable relationship with your clients. How? First, you need to establish an empathetic relationship that touches the emotions of your clients by connecting with them through experience. Today, you can connect with clients using social media and media networks. In establishing a connection, you inherit the ability to speak their language, understand their movements and reflect on their experience.
5. Keep it clean and simple
Clients hate complicated. They want a brand identity that they can easily understand just by a glance. Eliminate the things that complicate your brands, anything that is not exciting and does not contribute to the visual identity of your brand.
You can create a brand style guide that references the specific design elements used in your brand visuals, so it’s easier for you to create logos or visual content in the future to maintain a consistent brand image.
6. Be consistent
Consistency in branding is the act of using a uniform filter, size, font, and style on all platforms. Consistency enables your brand to have a cohesive feel. It also allows your clients to get the same feel and story about your brand. Consistency does not only involve image but also texts, the flow of ideas, and the message it conveys. So whether you publish on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, it is very important to stay consistent. It can be achieved by setting up a template across all platforms for all your publication needs.
7. Utilize social media exposure
Social media is a powerful tool to create and promote your brand. In using this platform, your brand should be easy to understand, speak the language of your target market, and more importantly – visual. You must be able to use the right language and linkage such as hashtags for your social media posts. Learn how your logo impacts your social media presence, and tips to build your brand through social media exposure.
8. Invest in your logo
Your logo represents more than just the name of your company. It signifies a deeper meaning about your brand and your value proposition. These are the reasons why you should invest in the right logo right from the start. There are logo design tools that you can use such as Logomaker to easily customize logo designs and generate a full branding kit that fits your company, even without any design experience. If you are a creative person, you can even design your own logos from scratch in Designmaker with a huge library of design elements available. Just ensure that your logo design consists of all the crucial elements such as suitable color, design, shape, graphics, typeface, or fonts.
9. Address the feedbacks
Do not underestimate the power of social media and what it can do for your corporate identity. Among the benefits of social media is that you can interact with your clients or audience at any time. When a client posts something about you, you are able to address it immediately in a professional manner. Use this immediate feedback to your advantage as a constructive idea to make your corporate identity better.
10. Create a template
A template helps you stay consistent with your brand. If you are into huge images with text in the middle, keep it that way, throughout all the different platforms used for your brand. The positioning of your text, type of fonts, and graphics you use are among the things you need to consider when creating a template. You can find numerous professional template designs in Designs.ai. Here are some presentation templates available:
11. Develop a culture
People want to be a part of something. Use this idea to create a culture around your brand, something they want to be associated with. For example, Coca-Cola is known and remembered for its love of sharing; and Red Bull is well-known for its love of action and adventure. How do want other people to remember your brand?
12. Develop a tagline
Apart from your logo, you should have a strong tagline – a firm one-sentence statement that your target market will be remembered once they see your logo. A tagline should be easy to read and understand. Jean Gianfagna has more tips on creating a powerful tagline. See what she has to say here.
13. Be objective
Since it is your company, you wouldn’t want anything to ruin its reputation, It’s safe to say that you will protect it like you would your own child. However, you can’t let these thoughts make you subjective by clouding your judgments when it comes to criticisms. Instead, you must be open to critical ideas and learn to accept that there is still huge room for improvement especially if it’s a new company just starting out.
14. Set your own personality to stand out
Don’t just do what other brands are doing. You must find a way to be unique. Building your own personality will allow your brand to stand out from the rest and be recognized. Some famous unconventional brands and their stories can be found at trulydesign.com.
15. Stick with it
At the end of the day, branding and corporate identity is not an overnight job. You might experience ups and downs; you might even hit rock bottom at some point, but it is all part and parcel of the process. The key is to stick with your brand no matter what. Believe in your brand. You may encounter some modifications along the way, but these obstacles are what’s gonna make your brand better in the long run.
BONUS!
If you are a new company looking to establish your corporate identity and brand in this competitive market, let Designs.ai help you by supplying ready-to-use template designs such as logos, business cards, fonts, and social media templates.