The Importance of Brand Identity

Over the last 12 years, thanks to social media, I have had the privilege to meet a variety of amazing marketing, leadership, and customer experience experts. One of these experts is Susan Friesen from British Columbia, Canada. We recently had a discussion about marketing, and highlights follow below Susan’s bio.

Susan Friesen is the founder of eVision Media. In her capacity in that role, she recognizes that many business owners waste too much valuable time, money, and energy either hiring the wrong people to do their website and online marketing or trying to do it all themselves...and getting nowhere as a result. When working with clients, she has a proven, personalized, multi-pronged strategy that covers all of the critical aspects that must be done correctly to avoid these costly lessons. Susan can be found online at https://www.eVisionMedia.ca; on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/susan.evisionmedia; on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/eVisionMedia; and on Twitter @eVisionMedia.

QUESTION: In one of your Blog posts, you wrote about brand identity. What do you consider the five most important elements when creating a strong brand identity?

(Read the post here:
https://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Your-Business-Brand-Identity-Memorable-Enough?&id=10433533)

SUSAN FRIESEN: Creating a strong brand identity must first start with understanding and defining what your unique brand identity should be. Without that clarity, it's hard to be consistent with your brand presence and attract your ideal target market.

To help create your unique identity, begin with understanding your ideal target audience. You want to make sure your brand resonates with them.

Next is to get clear on what kind of value you bring to the table. This value will help convince your target audience to spend money on what you are offering.

Then you want to get clear on who your competitors are. Knowing the choices your ideal target audience have helps you better understand what they are facing when determining who to spend their money on.

And to help you be their obvious choice, the next step is to define your USP, your Unique Selling Proposition. That clarity will help you position your brand in a way that is the obvious choice between you and your competitors.

And lastly, develop a brand "voice" where everything said, written, and created should emulate your brand identity.

TWEET THIS: Develop a brand "voice" where everything said, written, and created should emulate your brand identity. -@eVisionMedia #BrandTip #BrandExperience #DebbieLaskeysBlog

QUESTION: In one of your Blog posts, you wrote about calls to action. Why is a CTA so important in marketing materials, email marketing, and on social media?

(Read the post here: https://evisionmedia.ca/secret-to-leads-sales-your-cta/)

SUSAN FRIESEN: In the world of marketing, sometimes we need to get right back to the basics. And when it comes to a call to action, those basics are to tell people what they should do next. What may be obvious to you, is most likely not obvious to them. So we need to lead them to the next step by offering them a prompt on what action they can take. Whether it's to make a purchase, sign up for a free giveaway for lead generation, or schedule an appointment, we need to plant the seed so they will act on the suggestion if they're ready to move forward.

QUESTION: Since March 2020, which brands have stood out by providing excellent customer service during the covid pandemic?
SUSAN FRIESEN:I'm a big proponent of supporting small businesses, so instead of sharing my thoughts on big brands and how they dealt with the pandemic, these businesses were just as impressive:

(1) The Broken Whisk restaurant in Agassiz, BC (https://thebrokenwhisk.com/) went above and beyond in response to their forced shut down. Instead of going home and waiting things out, they knew they needed to serve their clients who still had to eat but were also facing financial challenges. They created a select menu of gourmet meals and sold them for only $5. The orders were taken in advance and picked up on a specific day of the week.

(2) A local grocery store, Save-on-Foods (https://www.saveonfoods.com/), ramped up their home delivery services in a big way. Not only did they adhere to all safety precautions during the pandemic, they also provided a valuable service for those who couldn't (or wouldn’t) leave their house. The drivers we had were kind, courteous, and got to know us as a customer, which was greatly appreciated.

(3) Malary's Fashion in Cloverdale BC (https://malarys.com/) knew her customers would be wary of going clothes shopping but also didn't want to order online, so store owner Yvonne Hogenes created a personalized shopping experience where customers could book an appointment and have the store to themselves while experiencing individual attention for their needs.

I could go on as there are plenty of examples of businesses that stepped up to the plate and went above and beyond to serve their customers in a safe and compassionate way. We at eVision Media offered our clients interest-free extended payment plans to help get them through the crisis but still be able get their online presence updated to accommodate the rush for online sales.

QUESTION: What's your favorite brand, and why?
SUSAN FRIESEN: It's tough to specify just one brand, but I am quite loyal to a Canadian brand, The Bay. They are Canada's oldest brand and continue to grow and evolve to best meet their customer's needs. They always have exactly what I need at affordable prices with exceptional customer service, and you can't go wrong with that!

(Check out The Bay at https://www.thebay.com.)

QUESTION: Many people remember the famous OREO tweet during the 2013 Super Bowl. With that in mind, what's your favorite social media marketing campaign?
SUSAN FRIESEN: Dove has been doing an amazing job in their real beauty body image ad campaigns, and I came across one earlier this year where they put a focus on how selfie edits are done to highlight the dangers of social media.

(Watch it online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2T-Rh838GA.)

QUESTION: What do you think will be the central focus of our marketing discussions a year from now?
SUSAN FRIESEN: I hope it's to continue to focus on the empathetic marketing model. More than ever, consumers are wanting to be heard and understood and not be "sold" at. The more businesses can embrace the model of compassion, kindness, understanding and giving, the better this world will be.

TWEET THIS: More than ever, consumers are wanting to be heard and understood and not be "sold" at. -@eVisionMedia #BrandTip #CX #DebbieLaskeysBlog

My thanks to Susan for sharing her marketing insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Image Credit: Wordswag app.

Three Instagram Brand-Building Tips from Halloween

 

Instagram is an easy-to-use and fun social platform for brand-building. Brands use it to share engaging images, thought-provoking quotes, and timely product or service launches. If a post grabs viewers’ attention, they will comment or like it – thus increasing brand awareness.

While holidays present an opportunity for memorable posts, Halloween provides three useful tips for brands to apply toward other holidays later in the year like Thanksgiving, the December holidays, and New Year's.

COLOR
Color is a universal way to tell a brand’s story. What brand is associated with red? Coca-Cola. What brand is associated with brown? United Parcel Service. What color provides the nickname for IBM? (Big) Blue. Once October begins, all variations of orange take front and center. Recall the beverages served by your favorite coffee houses and doughnut stores at this time of year: pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin iced coffee, pumpkin spiced iced latte, to name just a few.

My two favorite examples are a post by Pantone, the color company brand, and a post by Sherwin-Williams, the paint store brand. Candy corn, the most popular candy from Halloween is featured, and it is comprised of several colors. Pantone showcases the specific colors that align with candy corn. In Sherwin-Williams’ post, jelly beans are featured, and one specific color is called out. Does your brand integrate color in a creative way during October, November, and December?

HUMOR
When brands introduce characters into their posts, they often showcase humor, and humor is a universal way to attract interaction and support. Who wouldn’t laugh at the Muppets, the Energizer Bunny, or the M&M characters? Does your brand have characters that tell your brand’s story? If not, how can your brand integrate characters and humor into your Instagram posts?

My favorite example is a post by M&M’s chocolate candies. Two chocolate characters, Brown and Red, are featured in a field full of pumpkins. Everyone can associate with the two characters because everyone would like to have fun with their family and friends in a field of pumpkins.

TRADITION
When brands integrate elements of tradition into their posts, their posts become embraceable. When we think of the fall season with colder weather, the beginning of the holiday season, leaves changing color, we often think of times spent with family. And food is often associated with family gatherings. Starting with Halloween and pumpkins, there is the arrival of pumpkin pie. What’s more traditional than pumpkin pie?

My favorite post that demonstrates tradition is by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. This post shows how its pumpkin beverage was created by the traditional pumpkin pie. Do your brand’s posts show how your product or service originated or began?

How will you apply these three Halloween tips to your brand storytelling during the remainder of the holiday season? Chime in to share.


Image Credits via Instagram: @MMSChocolate, @Pantone, @TheCoffeeBean, and @SherwinWilliams.

Ten Useful Brand Marketing Hashtags

Thanks to social media, hashtags have become an excellent marketing tool when reaching out to customers and potential customers. Whenever a hashtag or number sign (#) is inserted in front of a word or phrase, it brings attention to the word or phrase and facilitates online searches. Hashtags have become useful throughout social media but are most widely used on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google Plus.

According to Wikipedia, a hashtag "makes it possible for (people) to easily find a specific theme or content...If promoted by enough individuals, a hashtag can 'trend' and attract more individual users...Because of its widespread use, ‘hashtag’ was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in June 2014."

While there are countless marketing hashtags, here are ten focused on branding and brand-building:

[1] #BrandExperience
When talking about the impact a brand makes on its customers, fans, or stakeholders, the term is brand experience. A positive brand experience can create a customer for life, and by contrast, a negative brand experience can be a brand’s worst nightmare due to the power of word-of-mouth marketing. All brands should focus on their brand experience, and always walk a mile in their customers’ shoes. Use this hashtag to showcase your overall brand experience and to attract more fans, followers, and customers.

[2] #BrandStorytelling
What story does your brand tell? Consider Apple, Tiffany & Co., and Amazon. What are their stories? Their mission statements easily tell their stories. Use this hashtag to tell stories that will engage your followers and fans.

[3] #BrandPositioning
Is your brand an industry leader or a follower? How do you position your brand in the marketplace? Consider Avis and its tagline: “We're #2 – We Try Harder.” Avis may not be the biggest car rental agency, but its tagline sticks out. Consider the Energizer Bunny – who doesn’t think of the pink bunny when a wireless mouse or keyboard needs new batteries? And while the golden arches of McDonald’s appear on almost every corner around the world, Burger King’s emphasis on bigger and cheaper hamburgers have developed a large following. There are advantages to being #2. One advantage to being #2 is the ability to create unique product specifications and/or packaging since no one expects you to be different. Other advantages include the ability to tweak pricing, the ability to align or partner with totally unconventional companies or brands, and the ability to change packaging or advertising just to see how consumers react. Use this hashtag to explain your brand positioning and how you excel – wherever you fit into your industry.

[4] #BrandStrategy
According to Bernadette Jiwa (@bernadettejiwa), “We think our job is to change how people feel about our product or service. But, in fact, our job is to change how people feel about themselves when they use that product or service.” Use this hashtag to highlight some aspect of your brand marketing strategy.

[5] #BrandPromise
What is your brand’s competitive advantage? Do your employees know, and can all of them clearly articulate your brand promise? From the CEO on down, commit to delivering your brand promise to customers. Use this hashtag to highlight your brand promise and show how you deliver.

[6] #BrandConsistency
How do you present your brand to your target audiences? If you have a tagline, specific colors in your logo, or words that represent your brand, all must be included on a consistent basis whenever talking about your brand. If you’re inconsistent, not only will you confuse your audiences, but you may lose customers. Use this hashtag to demonstrate ways that your brand is consistent.

[7] #BrandVoice
How does your brand speak to all of your audiences? Do you use industry-specific jargon? Are you formal or informal? Are you consistent with your brand voice throughout all social platforms? Consider these questions as you build and maintain your digital brand. Use this hashtag when something you post/say is in line with all your other brand assets.

[8] #BrandRelevance
How relevant is your brand? While it may be top of mindshare to your employees and key stakeholders, it may not be well-known outside of your circle of influencers.  Use this hashtag to demonstrate the strengths and unique attributes you contribute to your industry and the community-at-large. You may be surprised by how your brand recognition grows.

[9] #BrandIdentity
According to David Aaker (@DavidAaker), “An extended identity can help a brand break out of the box…consider the strategic role of the Wells Fargo stagecoach in the brand’s awareness level.” Use this hashtag to explain elements in your brand story, as well as your values and culture.

[10] #BrandAmbassador
Today, every employee has the potential to represent your brand. Therefore, leaders must ask, “Do employees have enough information to explain our competitive advantage? Can they articulate the brand promise in one or two sentences? Do they know who handles customer service complaints or press inquiries?” If the answers to these questions are no, then ask yourself this important question: How can my employees be enthusiastic brand ambassadors? The answer may force leaders to create a culture where innovation is promoted and recognized, where questions are answered, where good work is rewarded, and where leadership is transparent. Engaged employees will emerge – people who will live and breathe your brand on a daily basis. Use this hashtag to provide assistance to create brand ambassadors – and to highlight and thank your existing ambassadors.

On a related note, there are two other hashtags that you should also keep in mind. #EmployerBranding is useful when looking for top quality candidates. Show job applicants that your company, business, or nonprofit cares about employees by being conscious of your employer brand. And #PersonalBranding is an important hashtag because every individual is a brand and has something unique to offer.

I’d like to end with my favorite quote about branding. Ken Peters (@brand_BIG) said it best, “Advertising shouts at you. Marketing talks to you. Branding connects with you.”

What do you think? Chime in with your fave brand marketing hashtag.

Five Tips to Create Your Brand Style Guide

What’s one of the most important documents that your company has? While you might think it’s the list of passwords to gain access to your customer database, and that’s certainly important, a brand style guide is critical. In today’s competitive and social economy, a consistent and positive brand experience leads to future business and new customers. Therefore, a brand style guide is essential for the future success of your business.

This post provides five tips to create a brand style guide. A note, this document is a living, breathing document, so it will evolve over time – just as your business evolves. But if you don’t have one, don’t delay, create a brand style guide immediately.

[1] Showcase Your Brand Voice

Is your brand playful or serious? Do you have industry-specific jargon that’s easy to understand, or do you need to provide definitions? It may be easier to explain your brand’s voice by sharing examples with sample sentences. Another way to explain your brand’s voice may be by way of comparisons. Here’s an example from MailChimp: “We’re fun but not silly, expert but not bossy, confident but not cocky.”

[2] Showcase Your Brand Visuals

Is your brand associated with a specific color or colors? Think UPS and brown. Is your brand associated with a specific font? Think Coca-Cola’s swirl. If yes, know the Pantone or PMS colors as well as the CMYK and RGB versions. Also include “Don’t Use” examples with your logo and tagline.

[3] Showcase Consistency

Your brand is not just one logo, one tagline, and one or more colors. Think of how the Apple brand has evolved from the iPod to the iPhone to the iPad. When your main brand evolves and co-brands are created, consistency with the main brand provides credibility. Consumers, users, and stakeholders have developed a bond with your brand, and as a result, you want them to also develop a bond with your other brands. The best way to make this happen is to provide brand consistency. Apple did this by including the “i” in its brand naming structure.

[4] Include Your Legal Team

Ask your legal team to review the style guide. This will accomplish two important goals. First, the legal team will be involved in the process so that if any brand or trademark infringements happen, the legal team will be aware of the document you’ve created. And second, the legal team can share its trademark law expertise and possibly add something to the style guide that was missed by the marketing, design, PR, and/or personnel teams.

[5] Share Your Guide Company-Wide

Once the brand style guide has been completed, don’t toss it into a drawer in the personnel department leader’s office and forget about it. Include it as part of your onboarding process and hold quarterly brand training sessions. Feature it as a PDF on your website in the online press room and feature highlights in a blog post or blog posts on your company’s blog. Apply the guidelines to all other company marketing applications including letterhead and envelopes, business cards, email signatures, PowerPoint presentation templates, meeting agendas, flyers, and more. Use the logo or an approved tweaked version on all social platforms. Make sure that your employees know that they are encouraged to associate themselves with your company/brand when they post in social media but that they must clearly note their online posts as their own (for example, in their Twitter profiles).
 
And lastly, it is a good idea to provide an introduction to your brand style guide. Here is a sample introduction:

"These guidelines are provided to help carry our brand message to the community. Along with the brandmark, typography, color palette and other visual elements, directions are included to help manage the visual communication materials. This guide should be used as a reference when working with outside vendors and also with internal departments to ensure that everyone is using the (include your company name here) logo and other brand tools in a consistent manner."

What else have you included in your brand style guide? Please chime in and share.