It’s time for a branding reality check! Too often people assume that branding is just about a pretty logo and sexy websites. Don’t get it twisted those are just small pieces of branding. There’s so much more juicy details that go into branding and maybe you didn’t even know about. So we’re going to break it down for you and drop some branding 101 knowledge right here.

These are some of the other not so much talked about aspects of branding but many big box brands are willing to allocate top dollars for.  

Brand Personality

Brands are like people and have a variety of different personalities. Matter of fact there’s 12 different types of personality and finding which one your brand falls into will give you a guiding post. Just so you get an idea, brand personalities can range from outlaw like the Virgin Group to the lover like Victoria Secrets. Or even like Johnson & Johnson the caregiver.  

Brand Story/Messaging

This is essential for every brand. You need to develop a story or brand message that’s relatable to your customers. Something that speaks to why and how you brand exists.   

Customer Experience

How do you want your customers to feel when they are interacting or using your brand. Too many times brands skip this part and it’s one of the most important parts of branding. When you deliberately design your customer’s experience from the moment they go onto your website to the moment they check out can be the differentiator between you and your competitors.  

Strategic Partnerships

When you find the right strategic partnerships you can actually attract more customers and quickly. The key to strategic partnerships is finding other brands that are within your industry but won’t compete against you for the same customer or product.

Branding Strategy

All of this takes meticulous planning. So you want to have a clear set of strategic action steps as you roll out your brand. If you have ad campaigns that will be running together with certain branding strategies make sure you incorporate that into the planning process.

Another arguable misconception is that branding is marketing. But in fact these are two different entities. Think about branding as how your brand will showcase itself to the world and marketing as pulling customers into your brand through ads or promotions. So the next time you talk branding don’t trip up and assume it’s just about the aesthetics of your brand. The intangible also hold massive clout as part of your branding efforts.