The Importance of Brand Identity to Customer Experience
What is a brand? Why do you need it? Why should you care about it? And why is it so
important when it comes to customer experience?
A brand is, in fact, an essential component of customer experience. Every element, from the
colours to the design you use, reflects your brand’s identity, personality – the whole works.
But before you address the finer details of how to establish your brand, it’s important to gain
a true understanding of its significance by answering the critical questions posed above.
What is a brand?
A brand is essentially a set of characteristics that, when pulled together, help to differentiate
one business from another. In the same way that we – as individuals and humans – all have distinct features that set us apart from others, brands can equally be compared. Both you and your business will have a name, a personality type, a voice, a style. You’ll have a purpose that guides you.
You will have a reason that gets you out of bed in the morning. You’ll have values that steer
you and a vision of what you want the future to look like.
Think of your brand as your identity. It’s your why; why you’re in business. It’s also your
what; what you aim to achieve by being in business and what you hope to help others
achieve. It’s your how, as in, how you will help them to achieve it. It’s the right or wrong that
guides that ‘how’, and it’s also what keeps you going and what drives the momentum in your
business.
It’s why your customers get you. It’s your story. It’s what’s unique to you. It’s what’s authentic
– and what makes you stand out and be different. In a nutshell, that’s what your brand is.
Why do you need a brand?
So, why do you need a brand, and more importantly, why should you care about branding?
First of all, being clear on all elements mentioned above will help you frame and form
a brand that impacts the overall experience that a client has when they engage with you and
your business. It will enable your brand to evoke an emotion that clients feel when they hear
your name or your business name; when they see your logo; when they experience the
ambience that you create, be that in-person or online. It’s the overall service experience.
It’s every email that you send. It’s the cost of doing business with you. It’s the quality that
they get when they do business with you. And then, it’s the consistency of the core features,
designs and elements that make up your brand.
Most people, when designing their websites, are inclined to pick colours and fonts that they
themselves like, as opposed to what their customers might like. They might not even factor in what each colour actually means and how it might represent them and their business in the
future. Interestingly, in a recent study carried out by Forbes, it was found that something as
simple as the brand colours you use to represent your business can boost brand recognition by
as much as 80 per cent.
So, when you’re actively representing your business on social media or anywhere else, you
should ensure that the brand colours you use are consistent, but also that they’re appropriate
in relation to the service you provide and the clients that you serve.
Fonts, too, can impact clients by creating a sense of what your business’s personality is like and who you’re trying to attract. If you use cursive fonts, they could be classed as quite feminine. Alternatively, you might use 3D-
style fonts that perhaps are seen as unisex, or you could choose particular fonts that are very
masculine. Essentially, you need to consider whether your ideal client is a man, woman or if you’re appealing to a unisex audience and base your choice of font around this crucial information. This may not be something that you’ve ever considered before, but these things all help clients to form impressions of you.
How a brand impacts customer experience
Did you know that it only takes seven seconds for people to form an impression of you or
your business? Seven seconds, that’s all it takes. And statistics show that it takes between five
and seven interactions with the brand for people to remember it.
By being clear on your brand’s identity, being consistent in how it looks, what it says, and
how it makes people feel, you are taking vital steps towards creating a memorable
experience.
Another interesting fact is that 61 per cent of consumers are far more likely to do business
with a brand that comes up with its own original, engaging and informative content, whether
online, in print or wherever it may be visible. Furthermore, 71 per cent of consumers prefer to
buy products or services from brands that they know, which suggests that you should never
underestimate the following you have on social media. This following will pay attention to
the consistency of the content you put out there when you’re engaging with them.
Additionally, your tone and how your personality comes across when active on social media should represent your brand. This often occurs naturally, as the things that are intrinsically important to a business owner, the things they value as humans, are also the values that come through when they represent their business. When people become familiar with your brand, and later, when they hear your brand name or see your logo, it will prompt a memory, an emotion, or a feeling. If those things are positive, people will want to buy your products or services. They’ll want to support your business. And they’ll be proud to be associated with you.
This is why your brand and how you market your brand story are such essential components of the overall customer experience.
How do you create a brand?
Now that you understand the importance of brand identity, how do you go about creating it?
There are seven boxes you must tick before you can fully define and establish your brand:
- You need to know who your ideal clients are.
- You should have a clear vision, mission and purpose.
- You need to define your values, the ones that other people in your business can emanate if
they’re engaging with your clients. - You should create brand colours and fonts that appeal to your ideal clients, rather than
opting for ones you love yourself. - You must be clear on your brand’s personality and voice.
- You should get comfortable using marketing and word of mouth to get your brand working for you. You should have a consistent tagline, your ‘I help’ statement that tells people about your business and how it works.
Each step plays a vital role in your brand’s story. Having clarity on the story helps you to bolster your brand again because being consistent and persistent in the messaging and the stories that you put out there allows people to fully understand what you’re about, what it is that you do, who you help, why you help them, and how you do it.
A final tip
Many people believe that customer service is customer experience, but it’s not – it’s so much
more than that. It’s about designing an experience that will attract your ideal client and then taking them on the journey from start to finish, all the while keeping in line with your what, your why and your how.
I hope that this blog has given you a more in-depth understanding of how and where your
brand fits into your customer experience. I’d be delighted to answer any questions that you
have or chat with anyone who’d like more information, so feel free to connect with me in the comments section below.
Deirdre Martin is a business mentor that specialises in brand, marketing, sales and customer experience. She is a keynote speaker, business award winner and bestselling business author. For a FREE business breakthrough call, go to Deirdre’s calendar and find a time that works for you. Follow on LinkedIn!
