How to Turn Your Company Into a Brand

Does your business have a brand? Okay, so you might have a logo, you might even have theme throughout your company materials, but do you really have a clear and consistent brand identity which ties your company personality to your product, and through to your customer services? It’s an easy and effective way to boost your company image, and promote customer loyalty; we’ve some tips for how you can get that consistent brand image.

Your Values 

Before you decide on your logo and company-marketing materials (flyers, posters, adverts, etc), it’s important you consider what your company represents; it’s values. This needn’t be anything too detailed, but it’s worth asking yourself some questions about the company. Questions such as; what tone of voice do we have, serious, professional, playful? What colours do we suit? An accountant wouldn’t want a rainbow coloured logo for example.

Once you’ve considered what kind of values and voice suit your company, you can start to think about how you want to communicate them to your target customer. This is where you think about logo design, promotional visuals (van decals, business cards, etc).

Of course, your logo is the focal point, the centerpiece of your brand image; it’s the first thing your customers will visualise when they think of your company, so it’s very important you get it right. You can then use this as a point of inspiration for your other branded materials.

Stay Authentic

It quickly becomes clear when a brand is trying to be something they’re not. There are many examples of big brands trying to give off the impression they’re a different ‘person’ to their brand character. McDonald’s campaign for healthy eating was ridiculed in many quarters given their business of selling fast food.

It’s much more important to be true to your company and this will be far more genuine, and far more effective. Compare it to a person, you can soon spot if someone is not being themselves, and it looses them credibility amongst their peers. 

Make Sure You’re Consistent

A key need for a trustworthy brand is consistency. If one of your brand values is focused on customer service, it’s important you maintain this theme throughout all your company operations, from business cards to company emails to your after sales support. This will build up trust and ensure your brand builds up credibility and becomes associated with the values you represent.

Focus on Your Brand’s Niche

This ties in to the brand values advice. What is it about your brand that is different to other companies? It might be that you’re the only plumber in your town, you’re the only plumber who’s carbon neutral, or you’re the only plumber who can mend a certain type of boiler. The niche is something you should do your utmost to communicate to your customer through your branding. Think about how car manufacturers design their brands to appeal to different demographics to ensure they get their share of loyal customers.

Relate to Your Customers

This may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many business people seem to resent their customers more than they serve them. Only by understanding who your customer really is that you can ensure you’re tailoring your products and services to them.

A good exercise to carry out is to make up personality cards of your customers, thinking up how they think and what they’re interested in. 

By sticking to these tips, you’ll be able to get a clearer idea of what kind of brand your business should be working towards. Once you have the idea of your brand, make sure you follow it through with all your operations, and before you know it, you’ll have your customers associating you with the values you want to represent. This breeds loyalty and trust.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you’ve built up your company into a brand with a real personality and the benefits you’ve seen. Leave us a comment below and we’ll discuss it further.