Why Defining Your Brand is Crucial for Business Success

A 1995 study found that the McDonald’s Golden Arches are more recognizable than the Christian Cross. Whether that’s true or not, it is an easy idea to believe. Why? Because McDonalds has worked to define their brand so that even alongside supersized competitors, McDonald’s stands out. You can do the same for your business.

If you’re questioning how to define your brand or execute a rebrand, you’ve come to the right place. At PIC, we pride ourselves on being your partner and helping you grow. Our “Walk With You Marketing” approach means that we work as an extension to your marketing team, helping to develop a strategy and roadmap, all at your own pace.

Defining your brand goes beyond picking colors and a logo. Defining your brand is a mindset for what you want your company to be and accomplish. This is something that companies big and small can, and should, be doing to achieve success.

What is a Brand Anyway?

Your brand reflects your company: what you put out for customers to see, their personal experiences, and the perceptions of your company. All these factors are part of your brand.

Think about the differences between Walmart and Target. Both are major retailers selling everything from groceries to furniture, but their brands are vastly different.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Which store do you view as more cost-effective?
High quality?
Cleaner?
Accessible?
Charitable?
For which one would you rather work?

Your answers to those questions will tell you a lot about the brand identity of these companies, all without visiting their About pages. These perceptions affect where you choose to shop and for what goods. It’s not just about the colors or logo. It’s about the story behind the brand and the emotions it evokes. The same goes for your business. Your brand is more than just what you sell--it’s who you are and how you connect with your audience.

Person-comparing-products

What Does a Strong Brand Do?

A strong brand is powerful.

Here are five things a well-defined brand does for you:

Builds Trust and Credibility

Trust is essential in any customer relationship. When your brand is clearly defined, your customers know what to expect from you, and they can count on you to deliver. By consistently meeting these expectations, you build credibility, making it easier for customers to trust your expertise. Whether you’re suggesting a service upgrade or giving advice, the customer will be confident that you are an expert in your field.
Set You Apart from Competitors

A well-defined brand differentiates you from your competitors; not just a visual difference but in the unique value that you offer. Consider when your car breaks down on the side of the road. Which towing service are you likely to call--the one linking to a generic Facebook page and phone number or one with a professional website, glowing testimonials, and slogan “Serving the community since 2004”? That same principle applies to you no matter what the industry.
Develop Customer Loyalty

Loyalty can be one of the most powerful outcomes of a well-defined brand. Consider the Buc-ee’s gas station. Despite having only 50 locations, Buc-ee’s has massive brand loyalty, with customers proudly owning branded swim trunks, decorative pillows, baby clothes, and dog toys. They’ve built a family of brand advocates. This kind of loyalty doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through a brand that customers love and connect with on a personal level. That is a brand that customers will encourage their friends, family, and followers to pursue.
Attract Top Talent

When you define your brand clearly, you attract not only customers but top-tier employees as well. Talented professionals want to work for companies that share their values and that they can help grow. These professionals see the success of the company as a personal success. That level of investment can only be established when employees feel personally aligned with the mission and values of the company. Employees who do have that level of investment are also less likely to leave, increasing retention rates.
Drive Business Growth

A strong brand helps propel your business forward in the direction you have laid out for yourself. It aligns your marketing efforts, sales, and customer engagement under a unified vision. Without a defined brand you risk heading in the wrong direction, making it harder to capitalize on growth opportunities.

Key Components of a Strong Brand

Now that we’ve covered the impact of branding, Let’s break down the essential elements of a strong brand.

Brand Identity

This is the fun part and likely the part you have already been thinking about. It’s where you pick your name, logo, and color palette. All of these choices are important to get right.

Name:
If you remember freshman year English, you probably remember Juliet bemoaning, “What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” However, names can matter. Bloody Cranesbill is a beautiful flower, but the name may dissuade you from adding it to a bouquet. The same can be true for your company name. You want something that is memorable, easy to pronounce, and relevant.

Logo:
When designing your logo, you want to have something that is visually appealing and consistent. Keep in mind all the ways you will use your logo: Business cards, brand profile pictures, billboards, and branded merchandise. You will be using your logo everywhere so make sure it works for every size and location.

Color Palette:
You want to select colors that you like because, just like your logo, you will be using them everywhere. You want your colors to complement each other and complement your brand. If you are choosing colors for a hotel or a spa you might want calming, relaxing colors. If you are choosing colors for a daycare, you might choose bright vibrant colors. The color palette should reflect the brand you are building.

Typography:
The words you are writing are important, but the reader will also be impacted by the graphic design of the content. For example, Comic Sans in 17-point font with three-inch spacing, would not be the go-to typography for a legal office. While that is an extreme example, it matters and can affect the perception and credibility of your company.

When picking a typeface, ensure all the letters and numbers are easy to read and fit your brand. Create a brand kit with typefaces that you use and guidelines for each typeface. These guidelines can include things like spacing, point size, and specific use cases.

Brand Messaging

This is the “who are you?” portion. It’s the heart of your company and the heart of your brand.

Brand Story:

Are you a company founded by two brothers who wanted to help people?
Maybe a team of professionals who have a history of success?
What is the narrative of your company, and how can you connect it with your audience?

Some things to consider when writing your Brand story.

Who are you?
How did you get here?
Where are you going?

Brand Values:
As a company, what do you believe and what values guide every decision your company makes? Having these values outlined and part of your brand will not only help your customers see who you are but also serve as a reminder to you and your employees.

When making business decisions, day to day or big picture, your brand values will serve as critical guides.

Take a look at the PIC About page to see how we present our core values.
We have even included a short video. https://www.walkwithpic.com/about-us

Brand Positioning:
How do you want to be seen in the market? Are you an up-and-coming company bringing new ideas to the industry, or are you a company that has been excelling and growing for 35 years? Think about the perception you want to create.

Brand Voice:
This is the tone and personality with which you communicate with your audience. Consistency is key. Your social media posts, advertisements, and content should all reflect the same voice.

By defining your brand voice, everyone at your company will know how the brand should sound. Are you formal, informal, professional, friendly? Consider your messaging, positioning, and industry to help you develop the right voice for your company.

customer-engagement

How to Define Your Brand

Now that we’ve covered why it’s important, and you know the key components, it’s time to do the work and define your brand.

Conduct Market Research

You want to understand your customers, competitors, and the industry you are in. This is the first step for a reason. If you build your brand with messaging that does not align with your customers or industry you will do yourself a disservice. Likewise, if your brand resembles a close competitor, you will face an uphill battle to set yourself apart from them. Start by studying the landscape you want to enter. As you research, you may begin to see the niche your company can fill.
Define your Brand Values and Mission

This is where you outline the core principles held by your company and the impact you want to make. These are separate parts to your brand; however, they must be aligned.

If your company is fractured—where your values don’t support your mission, or your mission doesn’t reflect your values—you’ll struggle to maintain coherence. Your values should propel your mission, and your mission should stem from your values.
Create a Brand Style Guide

This is where you will put together a guide for all the aspects of your brand identity: Colors, logos, typography, and even your brand voice.

This will prove invaluable to you when your team creates a graphic, blog post, or website page. Having a centralized reference for your company’s look and feel ensures there is a cohesive vision and a consistent experience for your audience.
Content Strategy

Companies in every industry require high-quality content. Content should be reflective of your values and mission while also appealing to your customer base. It can also be helpful to establish goals for your content. Ask yourself, “What do we want to achieve with our content and how will our content provide value to our audience?” Design a strategy to create and distribute content so that it will achieve your goals and serve your customers.
Monitor and Adapt

This can be the most important aspect. Once you have defined your brand, you may find that some elements need adjustment.

Encourage feedback from your team and your customers. The best way to find out what is working—or what isn’t—is by talking directly to those to whom you are trying to appeal. Ask customers if they are getting value from your blog posts or ask your team to review the content relative to your brand.

Thrive

You can have the best product or provide the best services, but without the proper branding, applied consistently, you may struggle to thrive. By defining your brand, your business becomes more than just a product. It becomes an experience that resonates with your customers, employees, and investors.

Defining your brand can feel overwhelming, but with the right guidance and strategy, you can position your business for success. PIC has been walking alongside business for over 20 years, and we can walk alongside you as a partner in defining your brand and setting up your company for the growth you envision.