Do you remember Paris Hilton back in the day with her signature blond high ponytail, low rise jeans, and purse holding a few of her lovable chihuahuas?
She was an influencer before influencers were really a thing. She knew how to brand herself in a way that not many others had mastered. And it worked.
Branding is an identity — it’s the voice, look, and tone of who you are and what you have to offer. But it goes even deeper and can make a huge difference on the success of your business. Let’s dive into a few core reasons to make branding a priority!
Recognition and Connection
The famous Nike swoosh mark, the Starbucks mermaid, the bullseye of Target — all of these hold strong brand recognition that comes from their logo alone.
You’re going to want to build that type of recognition with your audience. But it doesn’t just have to come from your logo. Branding also includes voice, fonts, colors, and other attention grabbing elements.
This is where the connection comes into play. Once you are able to make a little light bulb pop in someone’s mind when they see, hear, or experience something of your company’s brand — this is when they will start to build a purchasing power connection to it.
Advertising and USP
Aerie, a sub-brand of American Eagle Outfitters, has made the hashtag #aerieREAL a part of their branding strategy, which promotes their attempt to advertise “real” women of all shapes and sizes.
This is a great example of a Unique Selling Point that comes from a solid brand.
Having good ✓ brand identity helps establish your ✓ unique selling point which helps with ✓ advertising. Like a full happy circle!
And do I really need to say why advertising is so important?
Having a business without advertising is like trying to win a dance competition with no music. You probably won’t make it very far without it.
Loyalty and Trust
Let’s be truly honest with each other for a moment — we all have a brand that we favor.
But have you ever considered why?
It’s all about loyalty from a level of trust.
We’ve all been in a similar situation, like buying a pair of running shoes that leave us with blisters. We toss those bad ones, go out, buy a different kind, fall in love, and wear them until it’s time for new ones again.
Are you really going to buy some no name shoes that may do you dirty again? Or are you going to buy the trusty ones you used all year?
Good branding is all about building emotional connections. If you are able to make people feel a certain level of attachment to something, then you’ve done your job right.
Revenue and Assets
Take everything mentioned above and boil it down to this section.
Building a successful brand means mastering all of the items we mentioned so you can grow as a business. And part of growing as a business gaining revenue.
Don’t be consumed with the idea of money — but don’t feel bad about wanting to profit from your efforts either.
Branding will only help build your assets and create a bigger brighter future overall.
Who Are You?
Now the big question is… what is your brand identity?
Build it up. Make it strong. Become something recognizable, reliable, and useful — but in a way that is unique to you and your business!
