Organisations spend a lot of money on their branding, brand guidelines, logos and websites yet really there needs to be an emphasis made to create personality within the brand for it to stand out.
Whilst looking pretty is nice, it’s not all about choosing the colours. Companies must differentiate themselves from competitors in ways other than just their logo and their brand values.
In order to identify and create your company’s personality you need to consider how you want your customers to feel when they connect with you and after buying your products. Maybe even consider buzzwords you’d love to be associated to your product or company. This emotional connection your audience will have with your brand is crucial.
As well as enticing potential customers to your company all promises must be delivered. If your product promises to deliver a certain lifestyle then it has to stand up to the task. Equally, if you promise customers something incredible will happen to them once they join your family and become a customer, it should then happen.
If customers are let down and do not feel the way they intended (how your marketing told them they would feel) then they will undoubtedly start to look elsewhere… to your competitors.
The most effective way to keep your customers loyal and not disappear to competitors is to offer them what they want in a way that appeals to them. Having this knowledge is key to retaining consumers and finding new ones. Consider strategies that make customers return to your brand again and again.
While it’s great to attract new customers we must never forget to reward (and interest) those that are already loyal. It is much easier to get another purchase from someone who is already a customer rather than finding a new one, so always keep your current client base in mind.
The user experience throughout a customer’s journey is imperative to get right. Your website, your social media, your offices, your store and anywhere you sell your products and engage with your customers are all part of your customers experience of your brand.
As well as considering how a customer will feel when engaging with your brand, the experience customers take away from doing business with you is also vital. From online carts, terms and conditions right through to customer service, it is all part of the user experience.
Consistency is one of my favourite words when it comes to marketing and it is so relevant when we talk about adding personality into your brand. Your messaging should be consistent across all channels. Your social media, your website, your printed press material, your product packaging, all needs to stay consistent.
You will have a greater impact on your audience when you see that it is continuity and repeating your efforts and messaging that will make any marketing campaign a huge success.
Here’s other industry experts on how important adding personality is to your brand...
Anna McLoughlin, Inkspiller
When you sell a service, such as coaching, consulting or therapy, there’s nothing more important than bottling your brilliance and articulating it in words. This is because your clients are actually buying YOU.
Your personality, spirit and way of doing doings. The windows you open up in their minds. Your vision of the world. Your vision of them. They buy possibility. They buy that truth they need to hear. They buy your why, your belief, your struggle. They buy to be a part of your journey, to walk alongside you and to be guided by you.
But unless you’re able to share who you are and why you matter, then there’s nothing for them to buy.
Going online opens up a world of opportunity to business owners from every corner, and that is both empowering and frustrating. Empowering because it gives us all a voice, frustrating because so many people use their voice to say the same thing.
We're taught marketing tricks that involve following magic formulas, using specific buzzwords, and piggybacking trends... but do you know what that leads to? Nothing. Nothing of note. Nothing of interest. Entrepreneurs with real potential blending into the sea of sameness.
Instead, use your platform for something worth saying. Show your intuitive approach, or your creative strategy, or your penchant for pop culture references. Be brave enough to be a person, as well as a brand. Stand for something. Have an opinion. Have a voice. Have a human side. That's what will attract the clients, and customers, and opportunities. It always does.