Without question, the most important marketing aspect of opening a new business or the re-vamping of an old company is the corporate identity.
Your corporate identity defines who and what the business is and where the business is going. It touches its audience as it represents its services and products. Because of what your identity represents, it's used in every element and aspect that promotes the business. You'll see it visible through all of your marketing campaigns, business cards, website design, content, domain name, emails, apparel, packaging, flyers, forms, and advertising.
Your identity comes in the form of your company name, domain name, logo, slogan, colors, typeface style, and images. And while there are many reasons for having a corporate identity, we're going to concentrate on the five most important reasons your corporate identity is essential.
Meg Whitman, a renowned business executive, said, “When people use your brand name as a verb, that is remarkable.” We call that 'noun-verbing' and while most people hate the idea of verbing particular nouns, there's nothing better when your brand name becoming one. You should aim for that!
1. Your Corporate Identity Defines your Personality
In the marketing industry, there's a term we use called 'brand persona'. A brand persona is your companies personality and profiles who and what your business is. This personality becomes a common theme throughout all of your public communication.
One example would be Walt Disney's personality of a fun and entertaining brand designed with the primary purpose of encapsulating every child's (and adults) fantasy of castles and cartoons into a small personal world. Another is Apple, a top tech-savvy modern personality that incorporates its clean lines with an apple outline and appeals to a population that wants the best in a computer, mobile, and entertainment devices.
2. Your Corporate Identity Insists on Consistency
With all of the different designs, types, shapes, and colors out there distracting us and pulling us in so many different directions, it's important your business has a persona that stays consistent, constant, and on track with the services and products, you provide to your audience. Your brand identity keeps your business consistent and in line with its theme, tagline, slogan, brand language, design, and theme.
"When people use your brand name as a verb, that is remarkable."
For example, if your letterhead had colorful loud rainbow lines running down the side, and your business card had a black and gold minimalistic design, while your website was designed with an orange and black background, your identity would appear confusing, mismatched and unprofessional. People would be confused as they went from one to the other.
On the other hand, an identity that has an aesthetic, professional, and consistent will appeal to, and allow viewers to remember you through that design when they see it over and over again. This is appealing and forms an image in the minds-eye that is difficult to forget. For example, when you hear slogans like, "Just do it" or "Keeps going and going and going" or "Finger licking good", you automatically think of Nike, Energizer, and KFC.
3. Your Corporate Identity Makes Sure You Look Different
Every business wants to get noticed. Every business owner wants their product to be seen. That's why they say, "even bad publicity is publicity"; you get noticed. Now, if you can, you want to avoid bad publicity, but you do want to get noticed.
As a business owner, you desire your potential customers to notice your company and you want your brand to stand out in the hefty crowd of competitors. If you're not seen, you will likely be forgotten as those customers can't differentiate between you and the others. Having a meaningful and appealing brand identity can help people remember you, recognize you, and identify you.
4. Your Corporate Identity Tells People You Exist
What's the one way to tell people you exist? Always, always, always, be in front of them. I know. It's difficult to forget about McDonald's or Starbucks because we see them on every corner as we drive by every day. They are always in front of us.
This is why more and more businesses are carrying out heavy promotional campaigns consistently through social marketing, emails, radio, TV, search ads, and more. It's easy to forget about you if an individual has only seen you once.
Many businesses are using re-targeting and re-marketing strategies to pass on reminders that their brand exists, and their services and products are available. These ongoing ads include all of the elements that are aligned with the company's unique brand identity. And they never go outside of the bounds of that identity or persona.
5. Your Corporate Identity Helps Form a Relationship with Customers
Having a unique brand identity that defines a product or service will allow a business to form relationships with a market of customers who easily relate to that brand identity. The take-away - a company that is always focusing on its brand is focusing on its customers and potential customers.
People tend to trust a well-identified business more than an unseen or unknown business without identity. When this happens, the result is increased customer loyalty. Other than just buying, people form an unconscious relationship with the brand in which they become loyal. And the best thing about this is the free 'word-of-mouth advertising' you get.
Creating your corporate identity is extremely important for your brand to survive in the market, especially with the increasing number and pressure of competitors in the market. A good idea is to outsource your branding to an established agency like Pureedge Media.
