How To Create A Unique Brand Identity

The market place is crowded, regardless of your industry. Having a strong brand identity is vital, not only in terms of competing in the market place but also in creating a strong foundation for all elements of your business.

Time after time, the terms "brand" and logo" are often used interchangeably, and whilst a logo can be the memorable symbol of a business, it does not define the brand nor does it show the entirety of the brand. The logo is one element of the whole brand identity. ,

If this is your first foray into developing a brand identity, it’s vital that you understand that there is much more to it than a logo and some colours.

The term "brand" was used for referring to the mark that cattle ranchers "branded" on their cattle, the idea of a brand has evolved to encompass much more than just a name or a symbol.

"Branding is what people say about you when you're not in the room." Jeff Bezos

Think of it like this, your product leaves an impression on your customers long after you've made the sale. Brand identity is the process of shaping that impression.

Just like any other aspect of your business, a vital step in creating a brand identity is to complete market research. You should clarify and understand these five things before you do anything further.

Audience

First and foremost, you must know who you are speaking to. Let’s face it, you can't target a product to a pre-teen girl the same way you would target a product to 40+ man.

Knowing who your audience is, and why they are interested in your brand, will allow you to create content that resonates with them.

Make a clear outline of your audience, who are they, what do they do, where to they spend their time and money? Knowing all this will help you craft a tone of voice for your brand.

Mission

What do you offer? Why do you offer it? How do you offer it?

It’s not enough to know that though, you must be crystal clear about your mission statement that describes your vision and goals.

Know your business's purpose; without knowing that how can you create a personality, a tone of voice or indeed any content. To create a personality for a business, you must know how to articulate the what, the why, the how etc.

Brand USP

Only you can know what makes your brand unique, whilst you may offer a service or product that others do, there is something about the way you do it that is entirely ‘you’.

It’s vital that you’re clear on what makes your business unique in your industry. What you can offer your consumers that others can't?

Knowing the difference between you and your competition is imperative to developing a successful brand. It is also crucial that this brand identify has room for flexibility, to be agile where needed depending on changes in your industry and the world as a whole.

Personality

Whist personality is usually reserved for individuals, however, all brands are run by individuals so although it might not seem obvious, your brand needs to have a feel about it, the thing that people connect with above and beyond your products and services.

This is where you create the elements that represent your brand, the wording, the colours you use, the fonts, the imagery and even if you embrace gifs.

You then add to this with your tone of voice, are you sophisticated and understated like a designer fashion house? Or fun and vibrant like a high street teen store? Two very different personalities, that require entirely different personalities and therefore different visuals and tone of voice.

SWOT Analysis

Finally, completing a SWOT Analysis can be beneficial to better understand your brand, especially if you’ve struggled through the previous points.

Considering the characteristics of your brand will help you find characteristics you want to portray in the brand. SWOT stands for:

• Strengths: Positive characteristics of your business that provide an advantage over your competition.

• Weaknesses: Characteristics that prove to be a disadvantage to your business.

• Opportunities: Changes and trends in your industry that offer opportunities for your business.

• Threats: Elements in the environment or industry that may cause problems for your business.

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4 ways to use IGTV for your brand

Heard of IGTV? See other brands using it but not sure how you can embrace it? I’m here to help you, with four ways to use IGTV to grow your brand’s visibility with a new audience.

Like any form of social media you need to put strategic thought behind what you are doing.

Whilst IGTV may not be the right platform for you, but it’s definitely worth trying if you already produce content on your blog, social channels or emails.

You can keep it super simple, it costs nothing and if you are using Instagram on your phone, you already have everything you need to get started.

So you have all the equipment you need, now you need a plan of attack for getting the most from the content you share. These four tips will help with that…

Always Provide Value

You are an expert, in your brand, your services, your products. This is your time to shine. Share insights into your services, tips on how best to use your products, share industry wisdom and experiences. Do all of this with with a personal touch, speak to the camera, look at the viewers.

The point of IGTV is to give, give, give. Give viewers something more than what they are already getting from other channels.

Introduce Yourself

Might seem a little obvious, but whilst people may follow your brand, they more than likely don’t know about the people who make it tick.

Share with viewers who you are, what you do, why you do it and how you got there. You’d be amazed how interested people are in the people behind the brands.

Why don’t you try a Q&A? Post on your grid and give people the chance to ask you questions and then you can reply to them on an IGTV video.

Be Entertaining

Don’t take yourself too seriously, IGTV is a great relief from the more serious aspects of your brand online, it can be the lighthearted edge that shows another side of you and your brand.

It’s also a great way to ease yourself into being on camera. So focus on the extra elements of you and your business, things you are interested in, behind the scenes of the business or introducing the people in your business.

Add a little happiness and joy into peoples lives.

Repurpose

Got a great blog post that proved popular? Or an email with your best sellers in that boosted sales? Why not repurpose that written content into video content.

Top tips, how two guides, hacks, these are all fantastic video subjects, which can then be supported by a grid post, stories and other social content such as Facebook posts.

Let me know how you get on and don’t gorget I would love to see how you get on with your IGTV videos, be sure to leave your instagram links in the comments below!

Key Dates Your Business Can Benefit From In 2020

New year, a new fire in your belly when it comes to your brands’ social presence, but find yourself a few months in and not much has changed? This post will help with that. 

Whilst it can seem that there is a National Something Or Other Day constantly, it would be remiss to ignore them all, as it might just be they provide you with anything from inspiration to a tool to advance your product or service. 

To help you get started, I've pulled together a handy list! 

January

DRY JANUARY

Sell alcohol so think this is off the cards for you to engage with, wrong! In fact, it allows you to show the wider reach of your offerings, such as non-alcoholic versions of beverages, or indeed soft drink options that are a little more interested than the norm. 

VEGANUARY 

Where does your brand sit with vegan morals? Are you a vegan and cruelty-free skincare brand? Now is the time to shout about it. Are you a restaurant that could look to offer more vegan options? Use it as a chance to shine and welcome those customers who may have previously felt excluded.

27TH JANUARY - NATIONAL STORYTELLING WEEK

This is a fantastic opportunity for brands, inspire customers to share their stories with you, be it about the first time they experienced your product/service. Tell the story of your brand, how did your business begin?

February

FEBRUARY 9TH: NATIONAL PIZZA DAY

Who doesn't love pizza, if you're a foodie or drinks brand, this is a clear opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with your customers by asking them to get involved. 

Create a fun quiz which works out what kind of pizza you would be based on your job role, date of birth, favourite cheese...the possibilities are endless!

Host a pizza workshop, a beer & pizza pairing evening, 

FEBRUARY 13TH: PANCAKE DAY

Whether it’s a pancake race outside with all your staff which you share on social and allow customers to vote on or choose the winner, a special menu or just a special 'flipping amazing' offer for that day only, this is a day when everyone is ready to get involved for the sake of delicious pancakes.

FEBRUARY 14TH: VALENTINE’S DAY

The day of love, or the day where you can share a little cynicism! Whichever works best for your business. 

Florists, make sure you have roses in stock and make it easy for people to buy, fashion stores get your date-worthy outfits front and centre, coffee shops add a free heart-shaped cookie on the side of all coffees when people share their best date stories using a hashtag you create.

Online businesses, declare your love for your own customers with a flash sale or special offer, give people time to prepare for it and stress the urgency of the sale/discount. 

March

MARCH 1ST: ST. DAVID’S DAY

St. David is the patron saint of Wales. Welsh businesses take note! Travel companies that have venues in Wales, take notice. Brands who sell Welsh items, take notice and fly the flag high! 

MARCH 11TH: MOTHER’S DAY

This is a wonderful opportunity to stray away from the norm, inspire customers to be kind, to share the love for their mums. Share a little insight into your team members, share candid moments about their lives, customers relate to that and it reminds them that behind every business are real people with real lives! 

If you have products that fit well with the day, then by all means share, offer and promote. Flowers, gifts, eating out etc, make sure you let them know in person, online and via mailing lists. Make it timely and focus on the feelings and memories you can create, rather than on the material possessions. 

MARCH 24TH: RED NOSE DAY

No matter your business, this is a perfect time for you all to get red noses on and be part of one of the country’s biggest charity days, it's a great way to get staff and customers involved and engaging with each other. This is a fantastic opportunity to create funny or moving video content, whilst doing your bit for the charity.  

April

APRIL 1ST: EASTER SUNDAY

Do something unexpected, as well as the usual promotions. Get the local businesses together and host an egg hunt, bonnet contest or chocolate egg workshops. There are so many engaging ways to celebrate that don't simply involve making that sale!

Don't forget your online presence too, hide Easter eggs in your images, treat customers to Easter giveaways, invite followers to get creative. 

APRIL 21ST: NATIONAL TEA DAY

Can you even be British if you don't have an opinion about tea! Fan the flames of national pride and get a conversation going! In-store give away free cups of tea, if you’re a coffee shop, concentrate on all the ways you can have tea, iced, hot, in baking... 

May

Bank Holiday - 7th & 28th 

Make the most of people having the day off work (in most cases) - give people a really good reason for getting out of the house and trying your products or services.

Think of the things people love doing on Bank Holidays, BBQ, spending time with family, getting outside, then find a way your business can link in with that. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking, but it does need to be on-brand to convince people to spend with you.

June

June 17th: Father’s Day

If your business has items that will make dad’s day then put them upfront and centre and try putting them on offer so little ones, and slightly bigger ones, can help show their dad some appreciation on this day.

July

JULY 7TH: WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY

Everyone, take note! If you are a B2B business, send your main customers a box of chocolates, treat your staff to a chocolate bar. 

If you're a B2C business then think of the ways you can add value to customers already shopping with you.

If you have a cafe or restaurant, use this day to amplify your USP, rather than simply offering a discount on normal items, how about creating a specific chocolate menu, chocolate tea, curry, salad dressing, cocktails, they can all be created with a touch of chocolate. 

August

AUGUST 27TH: BANK HOLIDAY

Replicate what worked in May, customers will make it clear what they engaged with most, so give them it in bucket loads!

October

OCTOBER 31ST: HALLOWEEN

Get the costumes on, seriously it's the most fun day of the year! Get the camera out and make sure your social followers know you’re taking part and give them a chance to get involved and win! in fact, Go to town on the decorations and the spooky puns! 

November

MOVEMBER

As with Red Nose Day, getting your staff and customers involved in the greater good together can only lead to great things.  health. Whether you encourage beard-growing staff to take part or stick a fake ‘tache onto others. The moustache has also become super trendy in recent years, so maybe you already have items (or have some shaped biscuits your coffee shop can bake) to sell as part of the theme and remember to have some proceeds go to the good cause it stands for.

NOVEMBER 11TH: REMEMBRANCE DAY

Whilst this is a sober event, it's important your business do its bit by showing support. Make sure your staff wear poppies, where possible, uphold the 2-minute silence at 11 am. Be aware that working this day into your marketing in any other way is likely to be considered poor taste.

December

DECEMBER 24TH: CHRISTMAS EVE

The final push before Christmas and prime for people who haven’t finished their shopping and will be on a mission to do so, make sure you’re letting everyone know that your items are the perfect finishing purchase for their Christmas.

If you're an online business that cannot deliver items the same day, then make it easy for people to purchase them and download them to give as a gift!  

DECEMBER 25TH-31ST: SALE 

Christmas Day and the week that follows is one of the busiest shopping periods online, ensure your business is set up for that push and increase in sales, especially if you have discounts.

So there you have it, a snippet of insight into some of the days you can capitalise upon, regardless of your industry!