Branding is an umbrella term that comprises a multitude of substructures that all work to keep the brand itself alive. It’s like the human body that way. If I just said the word “body” to you, you would know what I meant, but that doesn’t mean you would understand every single thing that comprises the body and makes it work. You’d need to be a doctor for that.

In much the same way, you need to be a doctor of your brand. Only by understanding how it works can you make it work for your business. Luckily, there are 4 categories that put your brand into workable substructures on which you can focus your energies. Here they are:

Corporate Identity

Corporate identity is your visual presence. This includes your graphics: logo, letterhead, business cards, signage and ads; your words: your copy, communications, social media, press releases, your business name, and your tagline or slogan; and more including your design strategy,  color choices, uniforms, and offices or sales space. Essentially, your corporate identity is literally how others view you with their eyes.

Corporate identity can have high and low impacts without always affecting sales or the overall brand. If your favorite restaurant runs a commercial that you don’t think is so great, or change a color in their logo, it most likely won’t affect your overall impression of them. But if they change up their brand identity, that’s another story.

Brand Identity

Brand identity is going to affect your customers more. It’s the soul of your company and comprises your total offering to them. From service reputation to product quality, brand identity is about the value that you bring to your customers after all features and benefits have been weighed in categories of strength and weakness.

AT&T has worked hard the last few years to improve their customer service. After ranking at or near the bottom of customer service surveys and earning a reputation of being the mobile provider who treats their customers the worst, they decided it was time to improve their brand identity and focused their energies on improved customer service. Many of my friends who had AT&T and considered leaving before the improvement have since changed their minds. Once the brand image was strengthened, customers viewed AT&T as having a better brand image.

Brand Image

I don’t generally like quoting dictionaries in articles but businessdictionary.com put this so succinctly I just can’t help but to share their definition. They say brand image is the impression in the consumers’ mind of a brand’s total personality (real and imaginary qualities and shortcomings). Brand image is developed over time through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme, and is authenticated through the consumers’ direct experience.

That is so spot on I just can’t stand it. Brand image is the way you are viewed based on everything you do. If you think about it, we all have a brand image because everyone around us evaluates us based on the things we say and do, and they form an opinion about us. So what do we do? We try to treat people with respect and heighten their experience with us so we are thought of affectionately. Consider applying this kind of thinking to your brand development and see the difference.

Brand Voice

Brand voice is probably the most straightforward. It’s how your business “sounds” to your customers. How do your customers hear you? Through the copy you use in your ads, the tone of those words and how your words resonate.

I’ve said this before but think of your business as a person. If it were to speak to you, what voice would come out? Is it Barry White’s voice? If you sell handmade jewelry, Barry White is probably not the voice you want people to think of when they think of your business.

I think the best example of how brand voice works comes from the Apple v. PC commercials from several years ago where Apple clearly displayed what each brand voice sounded like at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Yt30wrbl4

So now you have your brand categorized into 4 easy-to-understand categories. This should be a good starting point for you to work on each one and improve how you look, sound, and resonate with your customers. Don’t hesitate to shoot some questions our way and check back next week for our take on some slick design.