Know the difference between brand and corporate identity

 

Identity of a business is very important in determining how it fares in the market. This is why both large and small businesses must understand the details of both brand identity design and corporate identity so that the company can be globally successful.

 

What is the brand identity?

Brand identity is how a customer perceives and relates to a product or service. This identity is specifically developed by the business owner. When it comes to creating a distinguishable brand identity, differentiation from similar-looking products is the key to success.

 

What is a corporate identity?

Corporate identity is similar to brand identity, however here the perception isn’t limited to a product, idea or service but extends to the entire company. A single business has one corporate identity which can branch into numerous brand identities.

 

Understanding the difference

Visual appeal

Both brand and corporate identity are linked because both come under the same umbrella. Both are made up of logos and imagery. However, visual information is more important in brand identity than in corporate identity design because that is what the customers see on a daily basis and retain.

 

Importance

Both brand and corporate identity are important for a company. They tell investors why they should work with a particular company and make customers understand why they should purchase it. Brand identity appeals to markets and retains a loyal client base which in turn helps in building up the corporate identity of a business through regular revenues.

 

Development

A marketing agency is responsible for the brand identity of a product or service. Most customers develop their perception of a company based on just one or two products, making brand identity crucial.

On the other hand, a company usually assigns one marketing agent each to a product, service or an idea. Together, they create a strong unified corporate identity that matches the vision, goals and philosophies of the business.

All in all, brand identity unifies the goals of corporate identity.

 

Concept

Brand identity helps in creating an emotional relationship between a business and the customer. The logo, design and packaging are all part of brand identity. They make a product relatable and establish an emotional relationship between the brand and the customer. On the other hand, corporate identity is how a business looks and feels. It’s mostly for the insiders of a company, investors and the people who want to be closely attached to the company.

Know the objectives of brand awareness

 

 

As a business, it is important to identify the goals you want to fulfill with your brand-awareness campaign. An outline helps you with your content, distribution channels and helps you accurately identify your target audience. Knowing the objectives and goals of your company’s brand design awareness strategy will help you track its progress. Let’s look at some of them.

Increasing web traffic

A very important objective for any brand awareness strategy is to have increased web traffic. If you’re looking to build an online presence and want people to read your blog, company announcement and product pages, you can’t do it without substantial web traffic. This can only be created by constantly posting related articles about a topic. This strategy will make the visitor click on your next article after finishing one, thereby staying on your website for longer.

Promoting products

Brand awareness is key to let the world know about your products. Overall, it helps in building a general and basic knowledge of your brand. Once you have a targeted strategy in place along with good content, you can drive people to your website with posts and offers to try samples of your products.

Improving reputation

Branding design is a blessing when it comes to building brand affinity. A lot of times PR mishaps take place, leading to blowing in the company’s image.  This might cause the customer’s loyalty to waver. Thanks to brand awareness you can shift the conversation in your favour by sharing customer testimonials, positive news and facts and information for customers and get them to stay.

Becoming a thought leader

By establishing your business as a thought leader in your given industry, you choose not to get into the rat race of creating online noise and take the softer approach to make your brand known. With this strategy in place, your brand will become a resource of information and insights for all kinds of customer problems. Customers who didn’t know about your products will find answers to questions about recent trends and other data on your website.

Increasing leads, purchases and sign-ups

Brand awareness is said to be the first step inside the marketing funnel. To reach all your performance marketing objectives you need brand awareness campaigns to drive people to complete specific actions like signing up for your newsletter, buying a product or even downloading an FAQ eBook.

To conclude

If the idea of starting out is overwhelming, remember that brand awareness campaigns are never foolproof from the beginning. It can take years to perfect branding design schemes and there are always opportunities to use content discovery platforms to reach your target audience.

5 tips to create a brand awareness campaign

 

Brand awareness is a strategy to keep target customers aware of a brand. Companies need to keep pushing their branding design campaigns so that loyal customers don’t forget the brand. Gone are the days when building a brand awareness campaign meant spending millions of dollars on traditional advertisements. Let’s look at some of the new brand awareness campaign strategies

Industry-related hashtags

Hashtags are imperative to drive exposure to social media. You can use branded hashtags to specifically target sales for your company or you can use unbranded ones that pertain to your industry.

Branded hashtags need a campaign of their own to become popular, but once they do, a large number of people begin to get aware of your brand. Contests are a great way to promote branded hashtags. Industry-related hashtags are easy to use. They allow for conversation around your brand and help you get associated with your famous counterparts.

Complementary partnerships

A good way to build brand awareness is by partnering with companies who already have a base of customers that make up your target audience. Complementary partnerships mean partnering with businesses that sell products complementary to what your business is selling.  For example, a shampoo brand will partner with soap and body wash brand to use each other’s target audience and accomplish a goal together.

Guest blogging

Guest blogging needs to be done actively and on a regular basis to get significant exposure for your brand. Start running sponsored posts on popular sites that will allow for a mention of your brand. The more you get published with the name of your brand  the better it is your brand design. Look for sites that will allow you to have an author bio at the end or at the beginning of a post.

Start your own podcast or partner with podcasters

Millions of people around the globe listen to audio podcasts on a monthly basis. There are numerous podcasters who have a loyal base of listeners and you can partner with them. People who listen to podcasts want to learn new things or get entertained, hence a sales pitch must be introduced very subtly and should provide value to the listeners.

Using videos in your brand awareness campaign

Video consumption makes up most of the internet traffic, which is why more and more companies are incorporating videos in their brand awareness campaigns. You can use video distribution services to put your branded videos on different publications. A lot of companies these days are using animated explainer videos so as to make audiences understand their brand offerings as quickly as possible.

Learn how to build online brand awareness

 

Brand awareness is seen as one of the most crucial aspects of marketing. With it, you can reach a number of potential buyers who will not only help in the buying process but also the decision making and research process.

The digital world is full of possibilities to help you build and establish online brand awareness. Let’s look at some of them.

Create shareable infographics

Infographics is a widely used shareable content format. This content format is easily consumable, visually engaging and more interesting than a regular article. It’s a fact that the human brain is capable of processing visuals 60,000 times faster than plain old text. With content like that you’ll get more shares which will help you expand your limited follower base.

Use user-intent related keywords to improve SEO

Search Engine Optimization can be intimidating but once you get the hang of it you will be able to build online brand awareness. Start by researching important keywords being used by target audiences to look for companies. There are many online tools like Moz Keyword Researcher and SEMrush that help in finding keywords related to different industries. The cluster model post where you incorporate keywords in your title, body and images is a widely used format to get placed on top of search engine results.

Start an online referral programme

Many companies have taken to online referral programmes where they offer their customers a discount when they refer to the company’s product to their family/friends, who in turn also get a discount. An online referral programme is a great way to win your audience’s trust because instead of an unknown face, trusted friends and family become their source of brand design awareness. When it comes to trying out a new product, word of mouth from trusted sources is very important and referral programmes help with that.

Broaden your organic social media presence

Before you jump on the paid social media brand awareness bus, it’s important to build your organic social media presence. This comes from creating quality content that taps into the audience’s emotional capacity. A good way to do this is by holding social media giveaway contents where you gain new followers by asking your existing followers to tag, share and re-post your content for a chance to win the giveaway contest. This way people who aren’t familiar with your branding design know about you.

Get yourself a brand voice

Developing a voice for your brand can make it sticky in the minds of consumers. It can be smart, emotional, and sentimental or funny- anything that fits your brand image and makes it memorable. The brand voice goes a long way to create brand awareness because once the slogan or catchphrase sticks, your audience will be reminded of your time and again.

How to build a strong brand identity for startups

 

A lot of startups feel that a brand identity design isn’t necessary for them and it’s something that only large companies invest in. However, brand identity is more than the visual impression of a business. Even without an eye-catching logo or slogan, a business has a brand identity. It comes from the kind of impression you make on your target audience, how you connect with your customers, what sets your business apart from others and what your customers say about you.

 

Why do you need a brand identity?

• It creates trust and visibility among new customers
• It creates credibility
• It communicates artistically and clearly with your audience and leaves nothing to ambiguity.
• It leaves customers with a positive image of your company
• It creates an impact and helps customers decide if they want to do business with you in the future.

How to build a brand identity?

Visually appealing website

For a start-up, having a website is as important as having a business card. If you already have one but you got it made without much thought, now is the time to reflect. What image does your website portray about your business? Does it reflect the values and personality of your business? Does it unify everything your company stands for? If the answer is no to more than one questioning then you need a creative design agency to help you out.

Talk to customers

Customers are the best people to ask about what your brand projects in public and whether or not it is in sync with your core values. Ask them what they think of your business and how they would describe it. Positive answers like committed, reliable, quality, timely delivery, budget-friendly means that you have a good foundation and you need to only take it to the next level with the help of marketing efforts to create brand awareness.

Evolve your brand

Every business needs to evolve, so does its brand identity to remain relevant in the market. It is therefore important to get a creative design agency on board to help you with market research and designs. An evolving brand identity does not mean you have to start from scratch. It simply means updating, refreshing and clarifying your image to give the brand a clean and polished look in public through logo redesigning, strong web presence, better customer service and promotional items. All of them together show your expertise and build credibility and trust around your start-up.

How to create brand awareness

 

 

For a company to thrive, it is very important that people trust it. Trust comes from knowing the brand and using it enough to get familiar with it. To reach this target, branding awareness is essential. Let’s look at how you can create brand awareness.

Use the help of influencers to help display your product

Most brands nowadays work with influencers to drive sales and increase brand awareness. Influencers usually have a well-established audience that not only knows them, but they actually listen to them and trust them. When these influencers talk about your brand with their audience, you will see fast growth in your reach. The power of influencers is so big that a company like Ilonick, that sells art decor for office and homes, works only with influencers on social media. You can also sponsor influencer events, videos or any aspect that fits your brand.

Branded packaging

The way you present your product to your customers is important. Rather than it being just another product, your offering must look special and should stand out. Hire a creative design agency that will help with custom packaging that can enhance the customer experience to make an ordinary product feel like a gift. To create an emotional connection with your customers, you need to get the first step- the packaging, right. The packaging should tell a story and should be unique enough to distinguish your brand from marketplace competitors.

SEO research

SEO determines your power when it comes to pitching saleable ideas to prospective buyers. This is why researching SEO strategies related to your service/products is extremely important to increase brand awareness. Many online tools help with providing keyword research related to your business. If you want to survive in the online world, your company should be amongst the top names in the search engine results and that can only happen with the implementation of strong SEO strategies.

Step up your social media game

Instagram speaks in pictures and a picture is worth a thousand words. It is a great tool for branding design to reach out to their consumers. Consumers can share their experience of a product/service on their handles and your company can repost it, inspiring other users to do the same so that they can get featured on your page. Like Instagram, Facebook too increases brand awareness and also builds a community. Twitter, on the other hand, is a platform where you can interact with people who are already tweeting about your business. For brand awareness, it is essential that the company responds to mentions of its brand with informed hilarious replies that will make the brand memorable.

Why do you need a unique brand identity for your business

 

A strong and unique brand identity is extremely important if you’re looking for a way to build your reputation from scratch. Unique brand identity projects your values, attracts your clients and most importantly makes your brand your business identity and your company’s most valuable asset. Let’s look at this in details

Your company looks established

When your prospects keep seeing your brand on social media and websites, they look at you as a company worthy of their money. A unique brand identity creates established looking company that radiates quality. Meaning, you can expect your audiences to pay more.

Builds a brand around your business

A unique brand identity means an identity that’s bigger than your personality. The purpose of branding isn’t for you to become a public figure but is to develop a name for the company which can only happen if you and your brand identity are two separate entities. A unique brand is devoid of any single person’s personality unless you want to keep it small.

Loyalty and trust

Your worth in the market place will never be established if you can’t portray your values to your customers. Without values, an emotional connection between your brand and your customers is impossible. To accomplish this task, you need a unique brand identity that builds a long term relationship and creates customer loyalty.

Shows that your brand is stable

Your company can be the oldest or the most experienced in your field of work and yet it can be ordinary. But with a unique brand identity, it can portray the image of a company that’s here to stay. A well-defined identity gives a sense of security to the people who see it on an everyday basis. You can do this by putting out clear messages and maintaining a sharp image.

People remember your business

Unique brand identity makes your business memorable. Using discount coupons, catchy taglines, offers, out of the box advertisements, all these items are very important to create a memorable experience for customers, so that even when they look at something similar like your product in a shop, they are immediately reminded of your brand.

 

Shows that you take pride in your brand

An owner who takes pride in his brand exudes commitment. It shows that he is committed to delivering on his promises because he is driven towards success. In today’s day and age customer loyalty and customer service is a must for a business to gain their audience’s trust.

Know these 6 types of presentation styles

 

Nowadays everyone out there has an opinion on how a perfect presentation should look like. Some people champion speaking loudly and some believe in speaking softly. Some believe in using visual aids, some just steer away from it.

The thing is there is no right way to make a PowerPoint presentation design. There are actually several presentation styles, each of them different from the other. Let’s look at a few to understand them better.

Freeform Style

This presentation style works usually without slides. Here, each point is illustrated with the help of strong influential stories. The presentation method works for people who know their talking points in and out and the ones who have a very short time to present. This style also works for impromptu meetings, networking events and elevator pitches. It appears more conversational and less rehearsed.

Visual Style

The visual PowerPoint presentation style is when you believe that slides exist only to complement the points you’re talking about. This style requires a lot of focus on speech which is why you need to strive hard to get audience engagement. If you’re a storyteller, public speaker or a visionary, this style is for you.

Coach Style

Speakers who are charismatic and energetic gravitate towards the coach style of presentation. This kind of presentation allows them to engage and connect with their audience using listener interaction and role play. It’s a great style to put the audience at ease- say a group of investors who need to get sold on what the company does instead of how it does it.

Instructor Style

This style is all about delivering really complex messages using metaphors and figures of speech along with a lot of content. Here, the slides are in a logical order and they use impactful visuals to keep the audience engaged.  This is a great presentation design to use when you’re not familiar with the subject matter or you’re not a confident presenter.

The Storytelling Style

This presentation style is propelled by examples and anecdotes for you to connect with your audience. The storytelling style is all about letting out your emotions to tell your story in the most honest possible way. This style is best used for sales presentations, conference speaking and networking events where you have time to elaborate.

Connector Style

In this style, the presenter tries to connect with the audience by showing them that they’re similar to them. It consists of free-flowing conversations where the connectors use question, answers and gestures while speaking. This method also encourages audience feedback and reaction, making it more of a dialogue than just a one-way conversation.

Know how a website design company works

 

It’s high time your website stands out from the competition. Old, low quality and outdated websites are things that a lot of companies grapple with. This can lead to a severe loss of leads because customers prefer shifting to sites that have an appealing face value. This is why you need a website design company to help you with professional website design. Let’s see what goes on in a website design company.

Four separate departments

The design department- This department makes sure the graphics and layouts are in place.

The developing department- This department makes sure of programming the site.

The marketing department- Looks after the content of the sites, at business goals and whatsoever analysis has to be done.

IT department- It does the job of webpage hosting.

How to get your website tailor-made?

Consultation

Here the website design company meets with the client and gives him a briefing about what they exactly do. The client then makes the company understand what his venture is all about and what he requires on his website

Proposal

A proposal is drafted by the website design company where an outline is made according to the specifications and needs of the client and then an estimate of the costs are given to him.

Developing

After the budget and the website design have been finalized, a contract is signed after which the website design company proceeds to create your site, after buying your domain name, making email accounts and purchasing web hosting. The last bit is the launch where your website can finally run.

What a website design company can do for you

• Determining the goals, client requirements and providing an overall estimate of how much money will be required for your website.
• Creating visually appealing graphics, along with designing fonts, layouts, style as well as the right colour schemes and right markup.
• Making the database for the sites, debugging problems and hosting the site.
• Redesigning sites for new clients and existing clients.

Factors to consider

The years of service- This criterion allows you to determine how successful and stable the company is.

Clients- The more the number of diverse clients, the better the overall understanding of the website design company.

Website design portfolio– This helps you to understand the quality served by the company.

A lot of work goes into creating a simple webpage.  A website design company works hard to create a professional website and makes sure it runs smoothly so that you can take a step back and focus on running your business.