Let’s be honest. One of the hardest questions in the world is ‘What do I want?’
Life is tightly jam-packed with layers upon layers of decisions, options, and opportunities. Our busy brains are capable of squeezing in about 35,000 decisions every day.
Understandably then, indecisiveness is something we all suffer with from time to time. What if you choose the wrong thing? What if your decisions have negative consequences?
Knowing what we want goes way beyond business. It taps into our values, ethos, and philosophy. Business is just a working manifestation of this.
Brand identity: Decisions, decisions...
Under the pressure of making the correct decision, it can be hard to envision what you truly want. And that doesn’t mean deciding between tea or coffee. These high-stake decisions are the ones that affect the future of your business.
You might have curated the perfect set of buyer personas, set financial goals, and engineered a well-oiled business plan. There’s one hurdle that many business owners get stuck on: brand identity. Whether it’s a brand-new business, or there’s a massive rebranding shift, there are an overwhelming number of options when it comes to branding, with many different choices to be made.
- Logos
- Brand
- Tone of Voice
- Website
- Fonts
- Colour palettes
- Imagery
And on top of all that, you've got to market all of it. So not only do you have to select your brand strategy and formulate an identity, but you also must plan how you're going to target your desired audience.
Big decisions are big investments
Brand identity is the face of your business. It's like getting a tattoo. Once the business is established as a brand, it's difficult to change it. It’s something that even the most foreword-headed of business owners and managers may struggle with. It’s overwhelming.
While getting rid of the wrong branding (hopefully) won't leave you physically scarred, it can certainly leave financial scars. That's why you'll want to choose a brand identity that serves for as long as possible.
The first step? Find a design and marketing agency that speaks your language and understands what your business is all about. You don’t have to decide exactly what you want on the spot. Communicate with a marketer who suits your business.
How to communicate what you want to a marketer
The process of branding and visual communications is never a linear one. There’s a lot of trial and error involved in the process, and it can take a while. It’s not just about the product, it’s about the culture of the business: the belief systems, values & philosophies.
If you get smooth, streamlined communication with your agency, you’re far more likely to experience better results.
It’s okay not to know what you want. But working through your ideas with an agency will help you in those initial steps – whether you’re just starting out, or you're shifting everything in a total rebrand.
Clarify your values and goals
Know your business ethos and values inside out. Communicate what your business is all about. Be transparent and clear from the very beginning. What exactly are your products or services? How does it work? How do you drive this forward to solve pain points?
Be as visual as possible
Words can only get you so far. For example, to design your business in a way that is ‘honest and genuine.’ But we all have different connotations of these words, and this paints very different pictures depending on the mental canvas. Use images, colour palettes, mood boards & visual aids to communicate your business. Being visual allows you to be more direct.
Ask questions
It might be the first time you’ve ever created a brand. If that’s the case, make sure you ask questions when you’re unsure about any part of the process. It’s so much better to be on the same page. This allows a deeper understanding of the branding, and how your money is being spent.
Provide feedback
Make sure you have the correct feedback on your branding concepts by being honest and open, whilst simultaneously being open-minded to new ideas from your agency, after all, they do this day in, day out.
Collaborate
Branding is a collaborative process. The agency-client relationships work best as a synergy. Work closely with the agency to ensure that you’re branding accurately reflects your company's values and resonates with your target audience.
Keep your Buyer Persona in mind
Go back to your buyer persona. That's the fictional representation of your ideal audience; a compilation of interests, behaviour, pain points and demographics.
This is what dictates your branding decisions.
Visual identities pivot on your audiences. Therefore, the brand identity should speak the language of your audience - using aesthetics that will magnetise your ideal customer.
Then it’s equally important to consider your buyer persona. Your buyer persona, like everything in marketing, dictates everything. Your visual forefronts are all designed to catch your buyer persona’s eye.
Speaking of awesome agencies...
We reckon we're pretty nifty at brand identity too. If you're considering rebranding, or you're just starting out - book in for a consultation with James, or check out some of our free downloadable marketing insights & resources.
