With new, innovative brands hitting the ecommerce market, you may be thinking about how your business can stay ahead of existing and emerging competition. Nothing will cut through the market clutter better than a strong brand identity that your customers understand and respond well to.
While it’s easy to get excited about rethinking your brand’s identity, don’t jump headfirst into the process. Creating a lasting brand identity takes time, and a rushed process may result in over-complicated, ineffective brand messaging. Carefully evaluate your company’s vision to avoid this disaster. Here are 5 tips to help revisit and discover your brand’s identity.
Revisit your existing brand: Although you may have already conducted an analysis when you started your company, it may be time to step back and dissect your customers’ wants and think about where your marketplace is heading. Consider a full audit (sales and media coverage, social media presence, trends) of your industry, company and top competitors, including rising stars, and evaluate how your brand stacks up. This will help you better understand how your brand fits into the bigger picture.
Realign your aesthetic: When they hit your website, customers should get an immediate feel and understanding for what your brand is all about. If not, it could be time to realign your visual image (logo, colors, tag lines, fonts, typography, illustrations, photography) to ensure they’re coordinated, putting forth a clear and compelling personality. Take top outdoor apparel brand Patagonia for example. The homepage leads potential customers directly into stunning imagery that combines dramatic photographs, clean typography and clearly written copy, leaving no doubt the brand is about adventure and respect for the environment. Just from the homepage, customers have an instant grasp of Patagonia’s values and overarching brand identity.
Redefine your voice: – and go straight to the core. Use clear, easy-to-digest language in your website, blog and social media posts. As Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and economist Daniel Kahnemann noted in “Thinking: Fast and Slow,” readers are more likely to believe and identify with your message if it is easy to read. Don’t take the easy way out by choosing vague, over-used slogans. The language on your ecommerce site makes a lasting impression, so nail down your brand voice and ensure it is consistent across all channels. Most importantly, make sure your copy evokes an emotional response, not just a cerebral one.
Reinvest your time: Seemingly endless hours will be spent on building or revisiting your brand, and cutting corners might make the brand identity journey shorter. Take the road less traveled. Dedicate the necessary amount of time to fully rethink your brand’s identity, and ensure that your copywriting team stays consistent on all branding from here on out. Consider appointing a team lead to drive and maintain the brand identity process to ensure that it remains a company priority.
Remember your passion: Reflect on why you started your company in the first place. Remember what excited you about your business and share your enthusiasm with your employees and customers. Potential buyers crave meaningful, authentic experiences from businesses. As noted in Entrepreneur, “today’s most trustworthy brands have created relationships with consumers through experiences that trigger a visceral response.”
When embarking on your company’s brand identity journey, approach the process with a strong sense of leadership, detailed goals and a positive outlook. If approached strategically, your business could reap brand identity benefits for years to come – and make an impression that could last a lifetime.
Neal Kaiser is the CEO of Upshot Commerce