Why the wrong brand identity can mislead clients about your business and cost you valuable leads.

A business with the wrong brand identity is swimming against the current and creates issues for itself that can be avoided with the right branding.

But the right part is what is so complicated.

A solid brand identity serves your business by showing off your core values without needing much assistance and it should be the centerpiece for all your marketing efforts.

If you’ve already had your brand established but it’s dated or for some other reason doesn’t accurately convey what you are all about, then this process can be a little more of a struggle but equally rewarding.

Looking for help targeting your ideal clients? Read our article: How to target your ideal clients with digital newsletters!

It doesn’t have to be a negative experience at all and if you ask the right questions, the answers and the brand identity will come naturally.

Before you start any branding or rebranding try asking these 5 questions so you know you’re on the right track.

1. What do you like about your business?

   This is such a simple question and it might not even be easy to answer. The answer you give can really show you a lot about what your business interests are and why you are in business in the first place.

   Do you enjoy the product yourself and want others to share in what you’ve made or discovered? Or are you a public speaker who loves being on stage educating others?

   By asking yourself what you like about your work you’ll see what others could like about it. Plus, the more you fully understand why you are in business and what you love about it, the more others will pick up on that energy.

   This is key to defining your business’s brand properly.

2. What brands do you like?

   While a foreign industry to yours may not seem like a good guide for your brand, it can show what appeals to you and how you’d like to be seen.Select a few brands you’ve been loyal to and analyze what drew you towards them.

   Are they very trustworthy and business focused or are they boisterous and community focused?
   Everything from their logo to their tag line to the content on their website and social channels can be evaluated.

   You don’t need to copy them at all but assess the intentions behind their identity and why that same approach might be suitable for you and your business.

3. What do your competitors look like?

   Your competition has likely already done some soul searching themselves before they committed to their branding. Look at how they sought to define a unique brand voice that makes them stand out from everyone else.

   If there are consistencies between competitors, understand that the similarities exist for good reason. You should possibly adopt some elements of those consistent variables into your own brand.

4. What are some ‘pain points’ for your clients?

   We’ve talked about pain points in a previous post about differentiating your brand USP. These are areas where your ideal client struggles.

   These can be industry-wide faults or simply something nobody has put the effort into addressing.

   If potential leads encounter the same barrier over and over and you can offer them a solution that avoids all the headaches, it should be at the forefront of your business’s identity.

5. Why you?

   Aside from being an option that is less frustrating or has a more positive outlook, what do you do that is so different?

   This can come down to something as small as your service guarantee or as broad as your pricing. Maybe you deliver more consistent results? It’s different than what you like about yourself.

   This question is really about what your ideal clients like about you. These can be very different answers but no less important to defining your brand.

   A brand that isn’t appropriate to your business and your goals will work against you so make sure you ask yourself these 5 questions before you start settling on anything.

A professional branding agency such as ours can make the whole process much easier and hiring people with experience will help prevent you from stalling out while you ask more and more questions.

We’ve helped many businesses define and redefine their brands so if you’re at all stuck please get in touch and we’ll be happy to work with you and your team on developing a brand identity for your business that you’ll love.

Thanks for reading,
Mark Hare

About the Author, Mark Hare

Mark has been working in search engine optimization, paid online advertising, content marketing, and usability since 2005.

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He has worked with hundreds of clients on a wide range of web based projects and is a strong proponent of white hat SEO techniques and link earning over building.