Why Investing in a Strategic Brand Identity is Totally Worth It

Have you ever felt overwhelmed when it comes to running your business? Do you feel like you don't know where to start or what decisions to make? I know I have! When I was just starting out as a freelance designer, I had no idea how to create a recognizable brand identity for myself. I didn't know what kind of messaging to use or how to make sure I was reaching my ideal clients.

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Maybe, you are continually experimenting with different marketing techniques, endlessly browsing Canva for a template that “works”, or stalling out when it's time to write a blog post? It can be difficult to stay consistent with those tasks and do them from a place of abundance when you haven't explored the core of your brand.

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When I launched Wildfield and REALLY took the time to explore my brand values and message, it helped me craft more meaningful and effective content. It also made so much easier to stay consistent with the tasks I need to do to market my business.

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As you probably already know, consistency is key for building trust and recognition with your ideal audience, and ultimately for driving sales and customer loyalty. And a strong brand strategy and a solid brand identity are essential for making this happen.

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So, what really makes a brand strategy successful? It's more than just promoting a product or service - it's about (1) understanding and (2) communicating your company's values, mission, and vision. Crafting a unique identity that resonates with your target audience, and a brand voice that customers recognise and understand.

1. Understanding Your Audience.

Having a clear understanding of your target audience is key for building a successful brand. Who are the people you are looking to serve? What are their needs and desires? What motivates them to buy? Taking the time to identify and get to deeply understand your ideal customer will help you create effective personalised messages that will make sure to get their attention. If you want to get more in-depth, you can read my blog post about defining your target audience.

2. Grasping Your Place in the Market Niche

Understanding your place within the industry is a crucial element of creating a killer brand identity. It's important to know who your competitors are and what they're up to. Have a look at what they're doing, and figure out how you can intentionally stand out. It's important to have an understanding of their weak and strong points, and how you can make the most of your advantages to give your brand the best possible position for your target audience.

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Staying up-to-date with the latest trends in your industry is a great way to find an opportunitu and come up with a unique idea that will make you stand out. Think of things that nobody else is doing in your industry right now.

3. Creating the Core of Your Brand

Identify Your WHY.

It's time to take the insights we've gained about your target audience and your unique place in the industry and use them to craft a brand with a distinct personality and a relatable vibe.

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People are driven by emotions and they love buying from brands that have a WHY behind them.

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You need to communicate why you do what you do, what your values are and why it all matters. Communicating this is the real magic that truly infuses brand with life and creates a deep connection.

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Not only it is beneficial for your business, it will also make you, as a business owner, happier. Because there is nothing better than doing what you love and serving people in a way that is meaningful and easy for you.

Find Your Voice.

The voice of your brand is equally important - I'm totally recommending you hire a copywriter if you're not a pro at writing engaging and human-sounding copy. Trust me, having a brand voice that doesn't sound like a robot creates such a great response from your audience and helps people feel like you genuinely care.

Define the Content Pillars.

Since we want to create a system that will make content creation (and your life) easier, we need to define your content pillars.

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Content pillars are the major topics you want to focus on when creating your content. They are the fundamental building blocks of your content strategy, giving you a clear direction for creating content that is relevant to your audience.

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For example, my content pillars include design business tips, work-life balance, and branding tips. I suggest beginning with three key content pillars that will resonate most strongly with your desired audience.

4. Turning Data Into a Visual Plan.

Now, you need to communicate your purpose, values and mission visually.

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Insights we’ve gathered from the previous steps will serve as a strong foundation for all of our future business decisions, including your visual identity.

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This information will determine whether your brand should appear bright and playful, neutral and grounded, or vintage and sophisticated.

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“But Julia, what about my personal preferences?” - you might ask. Well, glad you asked! I never ever try to sell a solution that doesn't feel right for the client. After all, your business is your baby and no one knows its needs better than you. It would be absolutely wrong to ignore your visual preferences, that's why we always take them into account and try to find a good balance that appeals to both you and your audience.

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And to make sure we're on the same page, we always start off the design phase with a creative direction. It's like a visual roadmap of where we'll be taking your brand identity. It includes a moodboard with the overall styling, logo style, color palette and typography direction, so you can get a feel for how your brand will look before we really dive into the identity design.

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s a lot of strategic thinking involved into creating a strong brand.

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It might seem not that important, but by taking the time to understand your audience, you can create a unique brand identity that truly resonates with your target audience, and a brand voice that customers recognize and understand.

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If you see the value that a strategic branding can bring to your business, I invite you to schedule a free 30-minute chat to discuss how we can help your business flourish.