What is branding?

To me, a brand is like a life form. Every brand has a unique personality, style and feeling, and is always growing, learning and evolving. A brand is the all-in-one experience through messaging, tone of voice, visual identity and primarily; purpose.

Break through the clutter and transform first-time buyers into lifetime customers with your brand. Stand out, make an impact and take your business to the next level using branding as your technique.

A Brand vs Branding - what’s the difference?

Branding and brand may sound the same, but try to remember this:

  • Brand: A brand is the promise that a business makes to its customers.
  • Branding: Branding is the development and promotion of that promise.
Let’s break it down a little…

Brand Purpose - Simplelifeco UK

What is a brand purpose and why is it so important?

It’s no secret that the world is changing, and that climate change is a thing. These days, consumers care so much more about what kind of impact brands are making in the world, rather than just a product or service.

The rise in conscientious consumers means that you need to think about the social, environmental, ecological and political position of your brand. Shouting your brand purpose from the rooftops is pretty important.

Your purpose is your why. Here's the official definition:

Purpose - noun;

The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Show your customers that you’re not just your products, services, or advertising campaigns. This is your mission statement and your promise to your customers. Brand Position - Simplelifeco UK

A strong brand positioning strategy is an absolute must for any business reaching for the stars. How does your brand position itself in the mind of your customers?

How you differentiate your brand from others can take many different forms, and there is no right or wrong. The primary goal of brand positioning is customer relevancy and credible products/services.

A few popular positioning strategies include:

Quality Based Strategy

The quality of a product or service can be shown through exceptional craftsmanship, or high-quality materials. A brand that chooses a quality based strategy usually reflect this in the pricing.

Environmental Based Strategy

Sustainable practices are currently a very popular, and very important part of brand positioning. Using compostable packing, or sustainably sourced paper for packaging is very important for customers these days. 

Customer Service/Experience Based Strategy

This strategy is usually popular with small boutique shops, restaurants and service based businesses. It’s very clear that customers keep coming back due to the customer satisfaction. The use of testimonials works really well with this strategy!

Price Based Strategy

A brand uses a price-based position strategy to present its product or service as the most affordable option. It can be a good way to generate a high volume of sales, but sometimes can get a little risky when you work out your numbers.

Brand Values - Simplelifeco UK

This is very similar to brand positioning.

Your brands core values are at the heart of what your company is and does. They are incorporated into the look of your brand, your marketing content and language, and the relationships that you build through customer service.

What does your brand stand for? Do your core values align throughout the entire brand? Are you always using ethical practices?

Be clear and sincere with your customers and build connections with customers who share your values. 

 

Brand Story - Simplelifeco UK 

Your brand wouldn’t exist without a story. You had to start somewhere, and you are heading somewhere too so telling your story is key.

Being open and transparent develops an emotional connection with your customers. It’s highly likely that your core values are buried deep inside your brand story too so customers will likely fall in love with this.

For our brand, we realised just how much single use plastic was getting used in the supply chain, so we went on a mission to solve it for ourselves. With that, our company grew and now we support other like minded businesses (who are experiencing the same problem as us) to swap to using compostable mailers and other sustainably sourced packing.

Because our core values align, we find running our business the most amazing and fulfilling experience!

Brand Identity - Simplelifeco UK

With a strong brand identity, customers are much more likely to remember your business. Essentially, your brand identity is the personality of your business.

Having a strong brand identity is about earning lifelong fans, and being remembered, rather than just ‘standing out’. 

So good luck on your journey building and maintaining your brand, and I hope you find it as enjoyable experience as me!

Until next time, 

Beth

💛🧡🌱🌍✨

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