Put Your Brand Identity to Work in Your Marketing
Whether you’re trying to retain existing customers or expand your company’s reach through new marketing channels, a strong brand identity is key. But how do you define brand identity? In short: it’s what tells your audience who you are and sets your company apart from the competition. Let’s explore how to create a brand identity that speaks to your audience and makes a bold statement about your brand.
What Is a Brand Identity?
A brand’s identity is essentially the visual representation of the brand, how it’s recognized and remembered by its target audience. Think about your logo, the font, colors, and graphics you use on your company website and other marketing materials. These are all elements of a clear brand identity, each contributing to brand recognition in different (sometimes subtle) ways. In fact, even the tiniest visual details can speak volumes in your marketing campaigns.
For example, the amount of space a brand leaves between the letters (known as “kerning”) in its logo and marketing materials can affect how the public perceives that company. Tight kerning can look either messy or cohesive, while wide kerning can give an impression of either freedom or visual chaos, depending on the rest of the design. Branding professionals know how to blend visual elements to make a clear, compelling statement about the brand in one catchy graphic or ad.
How Is a Brand’s Identity Different from its Voice?
If you’re struggling to see the difference between a brand identity and a brand voice, you’re not alone. Even different members of your marketing team might have slightly different definitions of the two. Here’s our take on them:
Identity
Your identity is made up of all the visual elements in your branding. It’s the careful choices you’ve made in typography, color, and graphics to create an instantly recognizable company image. Applying these choices consistently across your website, online marketing materials, print ads, flyers, and more establishes a consistent brand image, strengthening your identity and making your brand more recognizable.
Voice
Sometimes called your brand personality or tone, your brand voice consists of the language you use — or choose not to use — in your marketing efforts. It’s the way you speak to and connect with customers, informing the types of content you share with your audience. For example, if your brand has a formal voice, you might post a simple Happy New Year graphic on your social media channels, but if your voice is more relaxed, you might include silly memes and emojis in your content.
Tips for Finding Your Shed Manufacturing Company’s Identity
Now that you’ve got a clearer idea of what a brand identity is, use these tips to start building your own.
Define Your Target Audience
Your target market could also be called your “favorite customers,” the ones who want the sheds, carports, and garages you like to build. They’re willing to spend in your ideal price range, and their needs are the kind you strive to solve.
Imagine the perfect customer for your shed building company. Get specific: give them a name and a salary range. Determine their potential for discretionary spending and the pain points your sheds can address. Finally, consider their personal values and how they might drive their interest in your sheds.
Pinpoint What Makes Your Company Unique
When you know who you’re selling to, the next step is to understand why potential customers would choose your brand over the competition.
Your unique selling proposition (USP) might be the longevity of your business or your commitment to using sustainable materials to build your sheds and carports. In many companies, it’s the company’s mission that sets them apart. Whatever your USP, it should inform the identity you forge for your company.
Decide How You Want Your Company to Be Perceived
Now that you know your target audience and their reasons for choosing your shed building company, you can decide what you want your brand’s visual identity to say about it.
If your customers value working with an established company, your image should exude stability and trustworthiness. However, if your audience is looking for a company that offers innovative metal buildings, your visual branding should feel forward-thinking rather than stodgy.
Consider Colors and Fonts
The colors and fonts you use in your logo and other elements of your identity say a lot about your company without using words. Different typography and color schemes will evoke different emotions in your audience. The key is to tap into the font and color combination that sparks the feelings you want them to associate with your brand.
The colors and fonts you choose should be consistent across all marketing channels and touchpoints to keep your identity clear and recognizable. For example, if your logo uses a bold, sans serif font, you wouldn’t want to choose a scripted font for your website copy.
How to Use Your Brand Identity in Your Shed Manufacturing Marketing
Once you’ve created a strong visual identity for your brand, it’s time to share it with the world. Try these manufacturing marketing tactics to improve your online marketing.
Keep Your Identity Clear and Focused
It’s vital that marketers maintain the integrity of their carefully honed identity. Don’t muddy the waters by introducing new color schemes or playing with the logo’s font size. Clear, focused branding is a long game, and it can take months to see results. But if you stay the course, customers will start to recognize your brand and associate your logo with your core values and service.
Boost Your SEO Efforts
You might know that your website’s graphic elements can impact search engine optimization (SEO), but your marketing and sales teams might not. Search engines prefer websites that offer users an excellent customer experience.
Make sure the graphic elements you choose are consistent with your branding. Their file size should be small enough that your website loads quickly, and they should include meta tags that improve accessibility and help search engines catalog them. That way, search engines will reward your website with a higher search ranking and boost your website traffic.
Be Consistent
Your brand identity should guide all your digital marketing efforts, meaning all content should feature the colors, fonts, and graphic elements you’ve chosen to represent your brand.
Ideally, your audience should recognize your branding at a glance. When you’re consistent with your brand identity, you’ll build customer loyalty, brand recognition, and a more successful manufacturing marketing strategy. GSCB
Phillip Atwood, founder and principal of Vessel (choosevessel.com), leads a boutique marketing agency that caters to industries ranging from manufacturing to non-profits. With a focus on delivering personalized, custom-tailored solutions, Vessel specializes in branding, website development, and marketing strategies designed to elevate businesses and set their brands apart. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, and technology, Phillip’s expertise and infectious positivity are game changers in the marketing world, ensuring no cookie-cutter approach — just personal attention and impactful results for every client.
