It is all in your DNA. Or so they say. But while we humans have ours pre-determined and mapped out for us, your brand’s DNA is all up to you and your colleagues to discover and define.
So what is Brand DNA? In short, it is the essence of your business identity and should serve as the starting point of your marketing campaigns. Your brand identity signifies your values to the public and allows for your potential customers to have a reason to pick you over your rivals in the market.
When you find clarity in your branding, that’s when you can move ahead with all the confidence and energy. While quality products and top-grade services are essential to every success story, good (and smart) marketing and branding work creates the scaffolding and is the real backbone of your business.
What is a ‘Brand’?
A basic question, with a not-so-basic answer.
Your brand is a promise you make to the market. It is much more than just a logo or a slogan. It is an abstract yet easily identifiable marker that helps your business stand out. Your products, services, space and all other intellectual property forms part of your brand. Everything comes together, carefully arranged and positioned, and then established to the world. Your brand then stands with a special quality that differentiates itself as a whole.
And your ‘Brand DNA’ will be the essence of this quality, a unique signature that sets the tone for your entire business.
Having a brand is not just for getting your target market to pick you over other competitors. Your brand should firmly stand to be the sole provider of a solution to your user’s problems and needs. They should have a want and desire for your brand. And then they should fall in love with your brand (and over time, be loyal to your brand).
Is it important to define my Brand DNA?
You bet. Your Brand DNA breathes life into your brand.
Once you discover and define your Brand DNA, you can then be more confident about building awareness, engaging with your market, and inspiring loyalty among your customers.
Your brand DNA should be your kickstarter, providing you with the motivation and energy to stand up and move forth amidst the crowd.
So what makes for a good and strong branding? Authenticity, relevance, and consistency. Being real and authentic will make your brand unique and differentiated. Having relevance means connecting with the public and providing value to the market. Consistency is about enduring the test of time, where as a promise to the market, you build trust, inspire loyalty and remain steadfast throughout.
Defining your Brand DNA
So you’ve sort of discovered hints of your brand’s DNA. The next step will be to put the elements through a sandbox and work towards defining your brand DNA.
This will take some time and quite a bit of thought. Remember, you want to create a unique and strong brand. So you will need this five-step guide to help you sift through the noise, and map out what truly defines your brand.
- What is your story?
What motivated you to start the company? What’s your background and what experiences have you got? Who’s on your team and why?
Having a good story helps make stronger and more meaningful connections. Every business has its own unique narrative, and it’s your job to make it as captivating as possible through smart copywriting. A good story drives emotional connections, which will help generate market interest and inspire customer and staff loyalty.
- What is your mission?
Ask yourself these questions about your business: What is its place in the world? What are the future goals for the business? How are you helping your customers?
Regardless of your company size or industry sector, everyone has a part to play in the greater human story. Creating a mission statement is a valuable process that helps you to identify your purpose and understand your goals. Once you establish your business’ mission, it will be much easier to define your brand based on what it is trying to achieve.
- What makes you distinctive?
What makes you tick? What are your business’ unique selling points? Why should anyone care? Everyone is different, with specific and individual markers helping to define your value.
Once you’ve identified your unique position and role, as compared to other businesses, you may then start communicating these differences to the world. There are lots of ways to do this, such as through the designing of logos, opting of brand colours, creating taglines, finding endorsements, and picking out advertising styles. In defining these elements, you can begin to craft a unique story that sets you apart and resonates with your market.
While being unique is a great starting point, also note that consistent applications of these elements is necessary to help catapult your business ahead of the competition.
- Who do you sell to?
Who is your ideal (target) customer? Where do your people usually hang out? How do you define your community? While being authentic with yourself is vital, you also need to sell your vision to the outside world. In this age of digital marketing, understanding your customers and respecting their values will help you build something relevant that grows over time.
- How do you communicate?
Have you found your tone of voice? What brand personality will you like to shine through? How often do you speak and on what platforms? Perhaps, you’d like to work on your social media management. From the words you use to the pictures you post and the timing of your delivery, the quality, and quantity of your messaging are integral.
You need to communicate your values clearly and build trust slowly. It’s important to maintain a consistent identity across all marketing channels, communication platforms, and geographical locations.
Branding it right
Brand DNA is the core of your business. It’s your brand’s position in the market, the promise you make to your customers, and the values that set you apart. From the purpose of your business to the voice you use to communicate, everything plays an important role. Just like the nucleotides that make up your body’s DNA, these individual elements can be moved around — but never left out — to produce endless diversity in a consistent and familiar package.
If you’re ready to transform your business with a killer brand strategy, or in need of some guidance to carve out your brand DNA, the brand strategists at I Concept are readily on hand to lend you some assistance. Working together with a dynamic creative team of designers and writers, we will help you develop a bespoke branding package that’s unique to your business.
