Are you looking for a way to make your brand stand out from the competition? You’re not alone. With an overly saturated market, it’s become more and more difficult to stand out. This is due to the sheer number of brands trying to be unique and relevant in their own way.
So it probably makes you think: “How do I make my brand unique?” It’s an excellent question, and one we’ll be explaining to you in this article.
It’s no secret that brand identity is the most important factor to take into consideration if you want to stand out. But how do you know what a good and unique brand identity looks like? Even more, what does brand identity even mean?
Stop worrying – and keep reading. We’re going to make sure you know all about brand identity in this article. And, we’ll also explain why you might be missing out on the opportunity to strengthen your brand identity with the professional platform, LinkedIn.
Before we dive in, let’s do a quick rundown of what we’ll be discussing.
First, we’ll start off with the basics and explain what a brand is.
Then, we’ll talk about everything related to brand identity and why it’s vital.
Finally, we’ll get to the meat and potatoes of the article and show you how you can use LinkedIn to strengthen your brand identity in a matter of months.
So, let’s talk brands.
What’s a Brand?
What’s a Brand?
This is a question that might seem obvious at first but think about it for a minute. Marketers are always throwing the word “brand” around, and it has led to a lot of confusion over the years.
A brand isn’t just a logo or a font. It’s not just products or services either. The word “brand” refers to everything that surrounds your business.
The way your logo looks, how you communicate your message, the type of font you use, and even the quality of your website is tied to your brand.
This is why the word “brand” is so often misused. It’s not just the logo and your mission. It’s a lot more!
It’s easy to compare products and services between different brands. But there’s a big factor that comes into play when consumers decide what to purchase. That factor is the brand itself, and how they manage to be unique while competing with hundreds of similar brands.
This is where brand identity comes into play.
What’s Brand Identity?
What’s Brand Identity?
Brand identity can be explained as the different elements your business creates for your target demographic. Remember, you want to be perceived in a specific way, and brand identity helps you achieve just that.
Decades ago, the word “brand” used to signify a company’s logo and name. But nowadays, with digital marketing, it takes into account a lot more.
Your brand now has a set of different features or elements which help it stand out from the competition.
Brand identity is when you look to improve these elements and make them your own. This way your brand can distinguish itself from other companies a lot easier.
Brand identity injects personality into your brand, and it helps potential customers leave with a positive lasting image of you.
Remember, you want to be in a potential client’s mind as much as possible, and having a very distinct personality helps.
To help you understand the importance of a good brand identity, let’s go over a few examples of brands that understand how vital a good brand identity is.
Casper
Casper has been without a doubt one of the fastest-growing brands we’ve seen in recent memory. It’s even more impressive when you think they’re a simple but innovative mattress company.
Not only do they have exceptional products, but they knew right from the start how vital having a unique personality was. They made sure that everything regarding their brand looked and felt consistent.
The logo had a very calming color palette that you could notice all over their website and products. It fits their theme of helping you sleep better and feeling calmer which is exactly what you’re looking for with this type of brand.
They managed to thrive and differentiate themselves from all of the other mattress brands out there. It’s a very difficult industry to grow in since brands, like Simmons, have been there for decades.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is hands-down one of the most iconic brands of all time. Crazy to imagine that a brand founded in 1886 could have such an amazing brand identity, but think about it.
Whenever you see a bright red color paired with white, it’s hard not to think of Coca-Cola… or Santa Claus, but come on, who’s thinking of Christmas in Spring? Apparently Coca-Cola itself!
They understand how their colors make people think of the festivities and they embraced it! Their website is holiday-inspired, with a calendar showing you all of the important dates. They double down on their marketing when close to a big holiday like Christmas as well.
Coca-Cola isn’t just recognized by its colors. Even its font is unique so it stands out wherever it is.
Heck, they can go and buy a billboard, paint it all red and use their font to say absolutely anything. You’d instantly know it’s Coca-Cola.
Sure, you could say that they’re recognizable because of how big their brand is. And yes, that’s part of the reason why they’re so easy to remember. That being said, they’ve been around for 130+ years, which means that, despite economic recessions, they’ve been moving forward.
Winc
Winc is a brand that sends wine directly to your door. No more going to the supermarket or liquor store to buy good wine. While there are several subscription-based wine brands, Winc distinguishes itself with a very elegant and minimalist brand identity.
When you think of wine, what is the first thing that comes to mind? We’re almost certain you’ve thought of elegance. How would you picture a wine club’s website to look if you already associate wine with a word like elegant?
It should look minimalist and sophisticated, only showing pops of color where necessary. That’s exactly how Winc’s website is designed to look.
They accentuate their products with muted backgrounds to make sure to give the product the spotlight.
Their logo has a font that looks like it came from a label on a wine bottle. This helps people know what the brand is about even before clicking on their website.
Winc knows that brand identity helps tremendously by explaining in as few words and images as possible what the brand is about. They do all of this while showing their personality to potential customers.
Why is Brand Identity Important?
Why is Brand Identity Important?
So, you just looked at three examples of amazing companies using their brand identity to stand out. But maybe you’re not convinced, which is totally okay!
Let’s explain why you should consider improving your brand identity in 2022.
Your brand identity is about everything that involves your business. It’s what can cause your client to develop brand loyalty.
This means that your brand is definitely more than just your products and logo. In fact, if you remember the three examples we talked about before, you might have noticed something that made them similar.
They all had unique elements that set them apart. They weren’t the same elements either. Each one of them had something different that people could remember them by. A good example is Coca-Cola’s unique font.
All of this is nice, but why is brand identity important for YOUR brand? Let us talk about two key points that will make everything clearer.
It Makes Your Brand Easier To Remember
Having a solid brand identity that you stick to has multiple benefits. The biggest one is credibility. It’s hard to remember a brand that changes the way they talk and how their designs look all the time. You can’t expect a consumer who looks at hundreds of different brands weekly to remember your brand every single time.
By keeping a consistent brand identity, you make it a lot easier for people to remember your brand and the product or service you’re selling.
Potential Clients Can Relate To Your Brand
It’s a lot easier to buy from a brand you trust and that you can relate to. Not only do they understand your problems and necessities, but they make you feel better and understood. This is not possible without thinking about your target demographic.
Thinking about how they talk and what issues they have will make your brand identity that much more effective.
People aren’t looking just for a good product. They’re looking for a brand they can count on and trust. It’s pretty hard for them to trust a brand that looks like a carbon copy of hundreds of other brands. That’s why having a good brand identity is essential.
However, firmly establishing that brand identity also means having a presence on social media. LinkedIn, in particular, can help bolster that brand identity in more ways than people realize.
How Can LinkedIn Help?
How Can LinkedIn Help?
So we’ve been talking about how important brand identity is and how it can help your business bring in potential customers. But what if you already have a solid brand identity and are looking for ways to use it more?
Well, that’s where social media comes in. Today we’re going to talk specifically about LinkedIn. Why? Because it’s one of the most underrated platforms right now.
This means it has a higher organic reach and it’s less cluttered with bots and spammers. And, let’s not forget all of the amazing features it has to offer.
Tips To Strengthen Your Brand Identity With LinkedIn
Tips To Strengthen Your Brand Identity With LinkedIn
These are tips you can apply on other social media platforms, like Instagram, as long as you adjust it to follow their algorithms.
Learn to be Consistent
Users on LinkedIn are always looking at new notifications and posts on their feed every day. With so much content appearing every minute, it’s really hard for them to remember a brand that posts every two weeks.
Because of this, it is important to post often while keeping your brand’s identity in mind. When we say, “have your brand identity in mind”, we mean that you should know how to express your brand’s personality consistently. Also, make sure the images or videos you want to post always have the same aesthetic.
You want to remind a prospect who you are and what your business offers. It’s so important to make a good impression and quickly. In fact, the quicker the better.
Posting daily or at the very least every two days makes it harder for people to forget about you since they’ll always see your posts often.
This is very effective when paired with a solid brand identity that is unique to your brand. It’s like we’ve talked about throughout this article. It’s a lot easier to remember a brand that stands out and is unique than one that is boring and generic.
Remember, consistency is important when posting on a social media platform like LinkedIn.
If you have to respond to comments, make sure your responses are clear and true to how your brand speaks.
Make sure your whole profile is looking good and that it follows your brand identity as well.
If you’re using fonts for your images and videos, make sure you’re using the same one for most of your other content. It’s okay to change fonts to inject some uniqueness into your post, but for the most part, it should be consistent.
We think you’re getting the idea by now. Consistency is king on social media, especially when applying brand identity to your posts.
Here at CMDS, we know how hard it might be to juggle your LinkedIn account when working on other projects. On top of all that, you have to make sure your brand identity is looking good on social media.
We want to help you create the best brand identity you’ve ever seen, so people recognize and remember your brand instantly on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
Make Sure Your Logo Looks Stellar
Do you want to know what’s worse than a bad profile? A bad profile picture! It’s the first thing people look at when they see a post they like because they want to see who posted it.
You should have your brand logo on your LinkedIn account, and it should also have a custom banner with the colors and fonts used by your brand.
This goes without saying, but make sure your logo is easy to understand after it is reduced in size. This is important.
We’re sure you’ve seen those accounts with a bizarre profile image of low quality that doesn’t look professional. Don’t let that happen to you. Prospects could find that unappealing.
Go and check that your profile picture looks good and that people can understand what it is.
You may be thinking that we’re putting a bit too much importance on a profile picture with your logo on it. But we’re definitely not.
Think about this. Seventy-one percent of consumers are more likely to buy a product or service from a name they recognize. Imagine what would happen if a LinkedIn user loved your post. They then click to see who made it and they’re surprised by a weird-looking profile picture?
We’re certain they’ll prefer not to follow you or even check your website after seeing that mess of a profile picture.
Maybe you think losing one potential customer isn’t that bad, but imagine if that happens again and again. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem as silly to change your profile picture and make sure your logo looks good.
The less work a LinkedIn user has to do to know about your brand, the better.
Use Branded Hashtags
This is a GREAT way to build your brand identity. You want to promote branded hashtags that your followers can use on their posts whenever they mention one of your products or services. This helps your brand interact with your community and build credibility.
This means it not only exposes your brand to other LinkedIn users, but you also get to post user-generated content on your account.
While it might not fit your brand identity, it will help boost your credibility sky-high. This is because people want to know what your consumers think about your product.
They know you’ll say it’s amazing and how crucial it is for them to buy it. But they want to know what a customer thinks about your product or service. This will make someone who is indecisive about buying your product or service a lot more confident in taking the plunge.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We hope you learned a lot about brand identity and how you can use LinkedIn to help it grow.
Before you go, let’s do a quick recap of what we talked about in the article.
We first talked about what a brand and a brand identity are.
Next, we mentioned the importance of a good brand identity and shared some examples of popular brands with fantastic brand identities.
Last, but not least, we talked about how you can implement your brand identity into your LinkedIn account and help your brand grow in the process.
If you have any questions or thoughts to share, make sure to leave them down below and we’ll get to you as soon as we can.