Every business needs an identity by which is can be recognised and remembered. This is especially true if your product or service is something that people don’t buy every day as they need to remember you when the time comes for the next purchase. For example, we find that it can be more than two years between meeting someone and them coming back to us for a project or advice, so you have to have a long term identity.
So what is your identity?
It’s your brand. That said, your brand is not a single item but a combination of all sorts of things:
- Your logo
- Strapline
- Colour scheme
- How you layout your business card, web pages or leaflets
- What you say: messages you give out
- How you say it: the language you use
- You and your personality
How these affect your identity
Here are just a few examples of how different aspects of brand can decide whether you are memorable:
- Logo – most famous brands have a logo that you can recognise at a glance.
- Strapline – think of John Lewis’ “never knowingly undersold”. It’s not a simple phrase, but it sticks in the mind.
- Jingle – By contrast, think about Go Compare. I don’t really know what their logo is like, but there’s the man and the tune.
- Colour – Your selection of colour decides whether people think you are a vibrant, calm or solid business, for example. Selecting the wrong colour can create a real problem in your brand. For example, if you are a solicitor and choose a bright red and orange scheme, will people think you trustworthy and stable?
- Words – if your language doesn’t match that of your potential clients, they will feel that they won’t get on with you. Should it be formal or informal? How erudite should you be?
I could go on and on but we cover this in detail in our workshops, so if you want to know more why not come along to one.
