What do you want to be remembered as?
Do you want people to remember your sparkling personality and your heartfelt interactions with them, or do you want to be remembered as a beautiful face?
Like people, brands leave a lasting impression on us, as we tend to associate certain feelings and experiences with them.
You would surely remember if a restaurant got your order wrong multiple times, and some of us might solemnly swear never to set foot in that diner again—we form a preconception that the brand will let us down. Therefore, the feeling associated with this brand is disappointment.
Businesses generally aim for their audience to link their brands with positive emotions and values; this encourages customers to revisit and relive the enjoyable experiences they had during previous interactions.
1. Brand Personality
A business’s branding holds greater significance than you might think. While your brand may be merely comprised of visual elements like logos and colours, in reality, it embodies your business’s complete identity, providing it with a distinct personality.
In today’s dynamic landscape, branding holds unprecedented importance. The proliferation of social media exposes consumers to a multitude of brands regularly. While this benefits consumers by providing abundant choices and research opportunities to find the most suitable option, it poses challenges for businesses — but with cohesive branding, audiences are put at ease and become less sceptical about their purchasing options.
2. Building Trust and Credibility
Consistency, professionalism, and storytelling in a brand’s presentation are vital components in building trust and credibility.
Consistent branding across all touchpoints, such as the website, social media, marketing materials, and products/services, is crucial in building trust and credibility. When customers encounter a uniform brand message and experience, it reinforces a sense of reliability and dependability. Consistency in branding also helps establish a strong brand identity that customers can recognise and trust.
3. Forging Familiarity
It is paramount for consumers to recognise businesses through their branding. Branding achieves this through playing a crucial role in forging a distinct and memorable identity.
Branding boosts brand awareness and recognition by creating a strong and consistent identity for a business. Elements like logos, colours, and messaging are used across different platforms to make the brand easily recognisable.
Through strategic branding efforts that focus on creating a unique and cohesive brand image, businesses can successfully increase brand awareness and recognition, ultimately attracting and retaining customers in the long run.
4. Driving Customer Engagement.
Branding is a continuous, dynamic process that unfolds during every interaction between a business and its consumers.
A cohesive brand identity that resonates with people on an emotional level creates a sense of connection and familiarity. When consumers perceive a stable and authentic brand image, they are more likely to feel a genuine connection to the business.
This emotional connection fosters loyalty and trust, prompting consumers to actively engage with the business’s marketing efforts. By maintaining a strong brand presence and consistently delivering on brand promises, businesses can nurture long-lasting relationships with their audience and drive meaningful interactions that lead to customer loyalty and advocacy.
5. The Financial Impact of Strong Branding
Investing in a solid brand identity is crucial in ensuring increased sales through customer retention.
A well-defined brand identity not only differentiates a business from its competitors but also creates a memorable and consistent customer experience at every touchpoint. This consistency builds trust and credibility, encouraging customers to repeatedly engage with the business and recommend it to their social circles.
Market research has revealed that businesses that emphasise brand consistency experience a revenue increase of 33%.
This statistic shows how having a strong and consistent brand can directly boost a business’s financial performance. Businesses can increase sales and retain customers by focusing on building a solid brand identity and keeping messaging consistent.
On top of increasing overall revenue, businesses can build long-term relationships with their customers, setting them up for success in a competitive market.
6. Case Studies
Branding isn’t exclusive to industry giants like Apple, Nike and McDonald’s.
Even the smallest home-based business needs branding to stand out from the crowded media space and form genuine, sustained connections with its audience.
Below are some excellent examples of branding done for smaller brands and why they’re done well.
All Southeast Asians are familiar with the household staple Tiger Balm: the pain relief ointment packaged in a hexagonal glass jar, with its iconic orange packaging featuring a tiger.
But did you know that Tiger Balm is even available in the U.S. and major countries of Europe?
In the 1980s, the brand took a strategic risk and ventured into U.S. markets, branding itself as an analgesic that ‘works where it hurts’. To facilitate this endeavour, efforts were made to obtain endorsements and acknowledgements from American celebrities and athletes, establishing Tiger Balm as a recognised analgesic in the pharmaceutical market.
Tiger Balm’s classic packaging and striking brand colours have remained an integral part of its brand identity. boasting a rich Asian heritage that is irreplaceable in the volatile markets of today. It boasts rich Asian heritage that is irreplaceable in today’s volatile markets.
As stated on their website, the brand is driven by a distinct purpose: making current trends easily accessible in fashion. Remaining true to its essence, the brand has made significant strides and gained recognition for its stylish and budget-friendly collections inspired by the latest runway trends.
Charles & Keith strategically identified a gap in the accessibility of the luxury fashion market, filling it with remarkable branding that the business continuously refines to this day.
7. Conclusion
In summary, a business’s branding extends beyond its logo, motto, philosophy, and colour scheme; It involves a dedicated commitment to upholding values that align with its founders and ensuring ongoing engagement with essential stakeholders.
Only with comprehensive and thoughtful branding can your business shine brilliantly amidst a populated sky.
If you’d like suggestions on crafting a holistic brand strategy that aligns with your business and goals, drop us an email at connect@writehaus.asia, or find us on our socials. We’re open 24/7. 😉
