The art of effective branding

We love what we do; helping brands flourish. Beyond just a logo and a tagline, branding encompasses a company's entire character, make-up and values; effectively, the ingredients we, as emotional human beings, use to form opinions. 

It goes without saying, this article barely scratches the surface on the topic of branding. However, we think there are some fundamentals to building and maintaining a peachy brand.

Be Authentic

The genuine article, the real deal or the real McCoy. Being true to who you are in everything you do, whether you're a one-man-b(r)and or a larger collective, is the foundation of an effective brand.   

A brand that gets it knows only too well they are responsible for accurately reflecting its company's values, culture, and core purpose. Our consumers and sometimes our critics are experts at sniffing out dodgy marketing ploys or communications that just don't ring true. So, staying true to your identity is vital. Authenticity builds trust, real connections and loyalty. The latter point can manifest in many ways: sales, brand spokesperson, lobbyist, product development...

Solve a problem or fulfil a need, do it the right way; authentically, and business will bloom.

Be Consistent.

Consistency is the bedrock of brand recognition. The importance of being distinctive in your approach, being recognisable and turning up every day to add value is critical. Whether it's a smile, a nod of approval, a lesson learnt or some money saved, your audience will be grateful. When someone goes out of their way to help us, we're more likely to return the favour, perhaps through an introduction to their personal network. 
From visual elements like logos, colour schemes, and typography to how we write or speak (tone of voice) and messaging, maintaining a cohesive brand image across all touchpoints. Work tirelessly to be identifiable, to be memorable. 

Be understanding.

Ok, so the title might be a little misleading. While being understanding is a great trait to have, we're actually referring to a deep awareness of who your customers really are. Furthermore, understanding how they divide into groups or even sub groups based on their behaviours. This might include psychological nudges such as needs and wants, what they like and what they don’t.

If you can understand, truly understand your customers, or as we like to call them, your tribe, this can allow you to fractionally modify the way you convey a point. Adjusting your approach for each group visually, verbally, literally or emotionally. This says to them 'we're one of you'.

Many people have written about the future being tailored to the individual. That sounds a bit 'Big Brother' but there's definitely merit in making the effort and taking that extra step.

Be different.

In an era where launching, and to an extent running, a business couldn't be simpler, we generally find ourselves in a saturated market. However, it's the things that make you stand-out that will determine how successful you are. 

There's an analogy we like to use, that derives from a slightly controversial point that competition is good for business. Take the humble fruit and veg stall holder. Often you'll find more than one quite close together at a market (remember those?). Why, well, people know they can buy doesn't quality goods at a decent price, so there's a volume of footfall from people looking for the same thing. Each customer, perhaps unknowingly, has a slightly different take on value, which inevitably determines which stall they buy their apples from. One person might like the friendly, cheeky chat. Another might light the direct approach based on price alone or perhaps it's simply down to who stocks the best looking produce. Either way, each stall has identified a demand and they sell in their own way, through personality.

There are so many variables that determine how you could be different; businesses just need to figure out either the gap in the market OR a way that feels 'right to them'.

Be emotional (it’s ok).

Here's the bomb drop moment... We make our decisions based on how we feel, our emotions, and not based on logic! That's the truth, pure and simple, as much as we might like to think we're rational beings.

Lean into emotions. Factor them in as top priority in your brand and product communications. By evoking feelings through storytelling (trust us, there's ALWAYS a story to tell), people will begin to feel. Whether you're trying to evoke the feeling of sympathy, or being heard, understood, valued, motivated or excited, these can all be engineered through the experience you're trying to create.

Learning softer skills like a fundamental understanding of psychology could really help you better determine the outcome of your brand and communications efforts. In the same vein, be open, receptive and observant of what your customers say and how they say it across forums and social platforms. Occasionally you'll strike gold!

Be flexible.

While consistency is crucial for spontaneous recall, brands must also be ready AND willing to meet the changing market dynamics. Being open to a bit of shuffling every once in a while whilst maintaining core brand values can help your brand stay relevant and appealing. 

Here's a personal story; Lewis and I recently undertook some brand strategy and visualisation work for a very large organisation with a long, respectable history doing what they do best. However, it was clear they needed to shake things up, and in a major way. The mental block for them was the risk of losing or at least alienating their generational audience. You might think, "Yeah, of course; why would they change?" Well, the honest answer is their audience only spends a little with them, doesn't like change and also doesn't recognise the dire situation our planet is in. Change is essential to staying relevant. It is also vital to onboarding a future generation who are far more willing to roll up their sleeves and paradoxically put their hands in their pockets for 'the experience'.

Move or get left behind.

Be good.

Simply, be decent Folk.

• Keep your word.

• Do what you said you would do.

• If it goes to s***, for whatever reason, suck it up and do the decent thing. Happy clients (even if they don't work or buy from you again) are way better than a loose cannon spreading the word not to work with you.

• Take pride in everything you do, even if it doesn't make you famous or a fortune. 

• Be on the same page; encourage the people around you to adopt the same ethos.
  
  

Well, that's it, that's all. Pah, if only launching and sustaining a brand was that easy! If you follow the tips from this series, you won't go far wrong.

On the other hand, if you feel overwhelmed, you can always chat to us, and we can sort all this out for you and point you in the right direction.