How would you describe the brand of your company? Do you know what elements of a brand have the most impact on customer experience?
According to Seth Godin, bestselling author and marketing expert, “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” Many people think of a brand as a logo. And while your logo is important, a brand goes much further—as the definition above demonstrates.
Here are some of the key elements of a brand and how can you make sure they’re effective:
Visual/Digital:
Logo: Your logo is often your brand’s first impression, so it needs to be right. The logo will be used on all company materials. You want a clean, simple design, one that will be easy to recognize and recreate. You will need to also create horizontal or vertical logo variations, black and white logos, and other modifications so they can be used for different sizes, formats, and purposes.
Supporting visual assets: To take a logo and turn it into a digital brand experience, you’ll need to create custom visual elements on your website that complement your logo’s design. Everything from buttons and icons on your website, to the types of graphics you use on flyers and brochures, should all match your brand identity.
Typography/Color Scheme: In addition to your logo’s font, you’ll need to choose one uniform font for all of your marketing materials. You will need to choose 1-3 primary colors to use in your visual assets. In addition to your main brand colors, you should choose a complementary color palette to use in your marketing materials.
These elements should reflect positive associations with your company. Though these are small details, they will make a difference in creating uniformity and brand recognition in the future.
Images/Video: Every brand needs images and videos for its social media presence. While some brands choose stock photos for their campaigns, the best brands create custom images and videos that incorporate brand elements with real customer and employee experiences. Both photos and graphic designs should have a similar look and “feel” to your brand vision.
Customer Experience:
Employee appearance: A part of a customer’s association with your brand is the interactions with your employees. Consumers tend to make snap judgments, so you want to uphold a high standard with your employees. Many employers require a uniform, and very structured protocol for interacting with customers to ensure this standard is met.
Your dress code and customer service training can be more casual, but you should still set clear boundaries, all based on what experience you want your customers to have with employees.
Storefront/Store layout: For retail operations, the way your storefront is presented to customers can have a huge impact on their overall customer experience and satisfaction. Factors include the location of the building, relative ease in finding products, and the design, decor, and overall appearance.
Website: Your website is critically important for your brand. Most consumers check a company’s website before making the first step in the buying process. If you create an easily-navigable, visually appealing website, you’ll make a better first impression on a majority of customers.
Brand “personality”:
Mission statement, slogan, positioning: This is essentially what your company stands for and why you stand out from the competition. Your mission statement is what purpose your company serves. Your slogan is the tool you use to convey that to consumers, and your positioning is what that message means in comparison to other brands.
Charity events and cause marketing: Defining the values of your company are essential in today’s marketplace to help create brand loyalty. Put your values into action through charity events, pro bono projects, and cause marketing. These can help demonstrate to a consumer you are involved in your community and making a difference as a company.
Public Relations: PR is a great way to build a relationship with consumers. Good PR gets others talking about your company—so any PR or communications efforts should focus not only on what you do but why you do it. This can help show how your company is unique.
- Related Post: Brand Analysis and Management
