Corporate Brand Identity System
Corporate Brand Identity System
WHAT IS A BRAND IDENTITY SYSTEM:
A Brand Identity System is the visual representation of your brand. It is a collection of elements that work together to create unified, consistent, and flexible marketing assets that effectively communicate the brand. These elements come together to paint how your company looks on websites, business cards, flyers, posters, social posts and more. The major brand assets consist of the logo, color palette, typography, and font. The brand identity system may also include collateral such as stationery, brochures, signage, letterhead, and envelopes.
HOW HAS THE COMMUNICATION LANDSCAPE CHANGED:
The pandemic has changed the way both businesses and consumers prefer to communicate. Consumers have embraced new and emerging channels of communication and have significantly increased their use of digital channels to engage with businesses and service providers. Remote working has also driven strong preference for digital channels (video, live chat, messaging apps, etc.) over more traditional channels (phone calls, email, mail) because consumers are expecting companies to respond quickly.
WHAT YOU SHOULD PRIORITZE:
Traditionally, business cards, letterheads, and envelops have been a vital part of the communication landscape, but it’s important to collect feedback from your customers to understand which channels are most relevant to them. With the significant increase in the use of digital, it is important to stay consistent when developing a strong brand, both online and offline. While you may feel compelled to have a business presence on all digital or social media platforms, selectively choosing a few platforms and executing those well may be the best way to reach your targeted customer. Furthermore, ensuring consistency and purpose to the messages and images you distribute on your website, blogs, and online platforms is the foundation of a good online channel strategy.
Websites – Your website is your most important customer touchpoint. This is likely the first channel your prospects or customers visit when they’re interested in learning about your business. It’s important to have a unified and consistent look and message across your website. It’s also important to be authentic and honest. It is not just about selling anymore, but also humanizing your brand and building an emotional connection with consumers, which is why brands are investing more in trust and value.
Email – Email is still one of the top methods to reach current and new customers. Nowadays, automation can take care of brand essentials. Having template automation take care of inserting mandatory content or brand-approved content and visuals in documents is very helpful to keep everyone consistent, and in compliance with brand standards.
Social Media – Consumers are now turning to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to explore and find new businesses and service providers. Social media is a powerful online tool that can be used to increase referrals or word-of-mouth. People continue to use business cards but are now putting their socials on them which encourages consumers to connect, follow, and interact with them online. It also allows consumers to direct message and receive a quick, personal response.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
As the world evolves and consumers embrace new and emerging channels of communication, your brand should continue to develop consistent and compelling digital content. Keep an eye out for the latest communication technology: video, chat bots, and voice search, which can help differentiate your business and further your brand’s image. Consistent marketing and messaging leads to consistent brand identity and, in return, consistent brand loyalty.