There are all sorts of different brands and companies out there, and no two are alike, at least the ones that thrive find ways to highlight what truly sets them apart from the competition.
When starting a new business, having a clearly defined brand identity and a strategy to entice consumers is essential, that’s why Ravyn Design, one of today’s leading brand identity design firms, has collected some important questions to ask when developing your strategy!
Who is Your Ideal Consumer?
When defining any successful brand strategy, it all starts with nailing down your key target audience. Determine who will benefit most from your products and perform some research into key buyer personas and their expectations. Your ideal consumer will share your brand’s values and relate to you on a more personal level.
How Do Your Brand’s Offerings Benefit Customers?
Determining what your brand has to offer consumers and how these offerings differ from competitors is key when it comes to creating a successful company. Most brand identity design firms will tell you that you should outline your brand’s benefits and then have a clear messaging strategy to identify them from day one.
Why Did You Start Your Brand in the First Place?
Everyone has a dream and vision for their business that goes beyond simply making money. Ask yourself why you started your brand in the first place. What are your goals and expectations for the future? These things should make up your corporate vision and the guiding principles of your company. You can communicate them to consumers to forge a personal connection.
What Are Your Brand’s Core Values & Guiding Principles?
Every successful brand has guiding principles and core values they follow such as a code of ethics or something similar. Determining what yours are from the very start can help create confidence in your brand among staff members in addition to consumers. These are the type of things that will guide your company’s choices both short and long-term.
What Are Your Brand’s Strengths?
Outlining your brand’s strengths can help you improve your messaging when trying to connect with consumers and put the most positive face on your brand. Whether it be stellar customer service, innovative marketing, industry-leading products, or more, highlighting them and then communicating these strengths to consumers will help solidify your reputation.
Who Are Your Primary Competitors?
Having a clear idea of the competition can enable you to identify what they’re doing right, as well as what they are doing wrong, and align your strategies accordingly. You don’t necessarily need to create your brand identity design based solely on what your competitors aren’t doing or what they are but using it as a jumping-off point to identify areas where you stand out is key!
What is Your Company’s Unique Value Proposition?
In the simplest of terms, most brand identity design firms define unique value propositions as what sets your offerings apart from the competition, defined in a single sentence. Think of it as your “elevator pitch.” It will be the foundation of your brand’s messaging and convey to consumers what makes your products or services different from the other competitors in the marketplace.
What is Your Brand’s Personality?
Consumers want to connect with brands that share their values on a personal level and they feel understand them, so think, if your brand was a person what type of person would it be? Outline the traits that define your brand and then maintain that personality across all channels, such as marketing and email campaigns, your website and social media pages, and in your brick-and-mortar locations or eCommerce store.
How Can You Tell Your Brand’s Story?
Every company has a story and sharing this story with consumers can forge a personal connection and create a narrative surrounding your brand that sets you apart from competitors. Describe why you started your company in the first place and the struggles you encountered early on, as well as how you’ve impacted the lives of customers over the years. Continue updating your story as the years go by and your brand grows.
What Sets You Apart from Competitors?
What makes your brand different from the next one in an oversaturated market? Is it your logo design or product packaging? Perhaps your business offers more affordable prices but doesn’t skimp on quality materials. These things should be at the forefront of your brand identity strategy.
How Do You Want Your Brand Portrayed?
Think about how you want general consumers and others in your industry to see your brand. Since you’ve already defined your brand’s personality, you can now figure out how you want your brand to speak. Again, consistency across all channels here is key so consumers can forge a deeper connection.
How Would You Like Customers to Describe their Experiences with Your Brand?
When it comes to the connection your brand makes with customers, what do you want them to say about your brand? Decide how you want them to describe their experience and then align all of your tactics accordingly, everything from your social media messaging to your product packaging to portray the image you want.
Contact Toronto’s leading brand identity design firm today!
If you want to develop a strong branding strategy for your luxury brand, Ravyn Design can help. In addition to our logo, branding, and website design services, we also provide rebranding solutions that can help you revitalize your company.
Learn more by contacting us online and scheduling a call today.