The TLDR of this post is simply that branding does matter, and it matters a lot. This is essentially the face, or identity, that your customers associate with your company, for better or worse. A good brand can make a business stand out from the rest, and customers will be more interested in a strong brand.

What is a Strong Brand?

People can’t help but anthropomorphize. It’s in our makeup to make connections and spot patterns. We do this with people, we do it with animals, and we do it with companies. A strong brand is simply a way to use this human quality to guide the impression people will make of a company.

First, a strong brand should stand out. It should be memorable and unique. Good examples include the Golden Arches of McDonald's or the simple tick and “just do it” of Nike.

But is a brand just a logo and a slogan? Design does come into it, but they’re just a part of a brand identity, just like someone’s physical appearance is only part of their identity as a person. Branding also comes down to the reputation, values, and voice of your company.

Something very generic simply isn’t going to stick out from the competition.

Designing a Brand

How can you design a brand?

The first thing most people think of is the visuals, so let’s start there. The name and logo of your brand should be simple and evocative. Something that’s overly complicated might draw the eye, but it’s not easy to remember. Twitter’s little blue bird was very effective because it was simple, memorable, and even evoked the point of the social media platform at the time, with quick and limited “tweets”.

Many brands also have a slogan or phrase used in marketing. We’ve seen a couple of examples already, but what about:

  • “The happiest place on earth.”
  • “Got milk?”
  • “Save money. Live better.”
  • “Move the way you want.”
  • “You’re worth it.”
  • “What’s in your wallet?”

The chances are that you’ll have associated a brand with at least one of these phrases, if not all of them. Admittedly, these are all multi-million dollar corporations that have the reputation and budget to become household names, but a lot of that comes down to branding.

A slogan is a quick way to put across the mission of your brand. They’re selling more than just the obvious, whether it’s freedom, security, or joy.

When creating a brand, it’s important to define the:

  • Visual identifiers (logo, color scheme, and imagery)
  • Personality or voice
  • Values and behaviors (for example, sustainability)
  • Vision and mission
  • Essence (what the brand says about you)

It’s important to bear in mind that a strong brand is flexible. While some brands have stayed seemingly unchanged for decades, others have changed with the times, to varying degrees of success. Sometimes a change is necessary to keep a brand fresh, especially if it’s meant to appeal to a younger audience.

Building a Brand Voice

One way to strengthen your brand is with a voice. This is how to make the personality and values of your brand clearer to customers.

The most important thing to remember when creating a brand voice is that it needs to be consistent. This is actually easier for smaller businesses, because the brand voice might heavily reflect your own personality and brands, especially if you do a lot of marketing and social media yourself.

But as your company grows, it can be harder to keep this voice consistent.

Using AI can help your business scale without losing the brand voice, through marketing, sales, and design, as long as you understand how to use it. It’s important to go further than just automating everything and hoping for the best. Make sure that the AI tools you use don’t replace the human touch.

Benefits of Customer Engagement

Customers prefer to engage with people, not faceless companies. By creating a strong brand, you essentially give your company an identity that they can build a relationship with.

This is where customer engagement can shine.

If customers engage with a brand, they become more invested in it. You build a relationship, rather than just making a single sale. This can lead to more sales, either through one customer remaining loyal to a brand they can trust, or even through that customer telling other people about your brand.

Social Media and Boosting Engagement

Social media is a great way to engage with customers and give your brand the ability to grow and show off its voice. Wendy’s is infamous for its social media interactions, and even smaller businesses can use social media to show off their brand.

For example, if you run a business that creates handmade products, social media allows you to showcase this. Show the products being made, show the work that goes into them, and show off the voice you’re cultivating.

You can also interact with customers directly through social media, and vice versa.

Creating a Brand Community

One very effective way to boost engagement and create a strong brand is through creating a community around your brand. The Lenovo Legion Gaming Community is a great example of this, as customers were able to interact with each other and the brand itself through a simple-to-use app. They could participate in events, talk to each other, and enjoy exclusive perks.

Creating a community is an investment, but it can be very worthwhile. People don’t just engage with a brand because they want something out of it; it becomes part of their lives and something they form an emotional connection to.

A community allows someone to be a part of something bigger than them, and they’re going to be loyal to the brand behind that.