Creating a Brand Identity | The First Thing You Must Do
Today we are going to tell you the very first thing you must do when creating a brand identity for your business.
It all starts with the BRAND VALUES.
Why are we massive advocates of getting this part right first?
Because if you can get this right first when creating a brand identity, everything else falls into place much more easily, and you can come up with disruptive stand out ideas, that fit 100% with what you are all about.
In fact, that’s what our book The Hippo Campus is all about. So although this is Step 1, go check out the book to delve a bit deeper.
When creating a Brand Identity, first pick your values.
A good activity to start with is to write a list of all the ways you would like to be described by your target audience when you aren’t in the room.
Once you have all this list, you need to cut it down.
For most small businesses we think 3 main brand values is enough. Any more any you may find it hard to remember and you’ll end up with an unfocused brand.
How do you cut it down?
First, get rid of any brand values that EVERYBODY SAYS THEY HAVE.
You know the ones we are talking about…
- Friendly
- Professional
- Caring
- Quality
- Blah
- Bleugh
- Give us a break
We call these Baseline Brand Values, yes they are important but they are not unique to you. If you use these type of values when creating a brand identity, nobody is ever going to care. Because how can anybody care if everybody is saying it!?
Imagine if you launched a new chocolate bar, and you said it was ‘tasty’.
Do you think getting across to your customers that it is ‘tasty’ is going to sway them from their favourite?
Of course not, you would HOPE the chocolate bar is tasty or you wouldn’t be selling it!
But that’s what you are doing when you are trying to entice people with brand values that everybody is saying.
The most successful companies find Brand Values that are UNIQUE to them when creating a brand identity.
BUT, now what do I do with them.
We’re not going to tell you our full book in this blog (stupid isn’t one of our values). But now you need to apply these values to your touchpoints, no matter how small.
Every single interaction with your customers, potential customers or otherwise should get across at least one of your brand values, if you want to create a brand identity that sticks fast! Be it your website, your voicemail, your social media presence, your business cards, or even the clothes you wear. Everything needs to be aligned in some way to these brand values.
The good thing about this… not many people go all in.
They’ll do this a little bit here, and a little bit there.
This leaves an opportunity for you.
Don’t be one of these people.
Go all in.
Own your brand values.
Rock it!
Wan’t to know more?
We are pretty passionate about this subject, and did actually write a book on it! It’s called The Hippo Campus, and it takes you through a Step by Step process to get your business noticed, remembered and talked about with Stand Out Marketing.
Outside of the UK or USA. Don’t worry, it is available World Wide, simply search ‘The Hippo Campus Andrew and Pete’ on your country’s Amazon.