The Do’s and Don’ts of Building a Brand Identity

Your identity is who you are.

How do you define yourself?

This is a big question, and it requires a big answer and a lot of thought to get there. Just as you are more than the clothes you wear and the music you listen to, your brand has to be more than your brand’s logo and aesthetic of your website.

In this blog, we’ll explore a few of the top dos and don’ts of building a brand identity, why it matters, and how to get started.

The Dos of Building a Brand Identity

Since a strong image of who your brand is and what it does is your brand identity, let’s explore some of the key components to keep in mind when developing your brand identity.

Adapt to Trends

Marketers must constantly watch the market for changes in consumer behavior and needs. Beyond the product, they should consider the entire consumer journey from start to finish to identify what pain points can be solved. They should study what the competition is doing and see how they can improve.

But this doesn’t mean you should hop on every new trend that comes around the corner right away. Watchfulness is important, and knowing what not to do is just as important as what to do (e.g. Radio Shack rebranding as “The Shack”).

Focus on Core Values

Your company's core values should be determined by what makes you unique. When these things are in place, your messaging will be evident, as will your brand identity. Your core values provide a clear understanding of who your brand is, what you do and don’t stand for, and your philosophy on how you go about adding value to your consumers’ lives.

Ideally, core values should also demonstrate personality and send a clear message about your brand. Remember, who you are is what you do, and vice versa, so be sure to get these nailed down.

Follow the Data and the Emotion

If you're running a data-driven business, it's easy to get lost in your numbers, but it’s important to take a step back to make sure you aren’t forgetting to ask the obvious questions — like what your audience is looking for, how long-time customers will respond to change, and what pain points your brand is currently failing to address.

Surveys, a finger on the pulse of social media trends, and lead generation campaigns are all ways to gain insights into what’s happening on the ground. Especially in today’s day and age, young consumers are quick to pick up on and abandon a brand that’s aloof and divorced from “real life”.

The Donts of Building a Brand Identity

As it goes, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. Let’s explore the donts of building a brand identity below.

Jump on Trends and Miss the Big Picture

Incorporating trends that are relevant to your products and company can be good for your brand identity. You’re not “retro” or “vintage” because you haven’t updated your brand in the past decade. But that doesn’t mean you should jump on every single thing that comes through the pipeline. For instance, getting political is probably a bad idea for soda companies.

Although it can be tempting to jump on popular trends, not every trend is advantageous for your brand. Some of these may even harm it. Think ahead before leveraging trends and think about how your message can be misinterpreted or taken as disingenuous. You should always choose trends that are worth the risk before incorporating them into your marketing campaigns.

Wait too Long to React

In light of Yahoo's and MySpace's failures, the importance of brand identity goes beyond logos. Brands must have meaning and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Rebranding can be done in many different ways such as appealing to different demographics, distancing yourself from an old image, adapting to market trends, or simply expanding beyond the company's original mission statement. Take the time to thoroughly evaluate your reasons for rebranding and develop strategies accordingly so that your effort is effective -- but don't wait until it's too late.

Don’t Align Yourself with the Wrong Influencers

Many brands make the mistake of partnering with incorrect influencers who do not align with their branding or goals. Historically, influencers' followings and the success of their previous campaigns have not been predictive of how successful their coming campaigns will be.

This is what it all boils down to: A well-planned partnership is far more important than pretty figures and fancy analytics.

The bottom line?

It takes half art and half experimentation to create and maintain a strong brand identity.

Data about your audience is available through digital advertising, which allows you to continually build, test, and target ads. Data-driven decisions are based on identifying patterns, analyzing trends, and having solid values. Brand identity should be constantly re-examined and tweaked in order to maintain relevance and strength.