blog posts

Looking to stand out from the competition? 

We’ve all got grand visions for our businesses. A vision of our company at its height, brimming with customers and clients all raving about our brand. But there’s a problem. The way most businesses work, this is just a fantasy. 

Building a brand that people remember is not easy. 

It’s not just the logo and colours, it’s consistency, value and understanding your customers better than your competitors. In this post we’re going to run through the essentials of creative marketing and how to build a brand identity that stands out. We’ll also look at some of the most powerful branding statistics and give you actionable tips you can use today. 

We’ll be covering 

• Why Brand Identity is More Important than Ever 

• Creative Marketing Tactics That Work 

• The Power of Brand Consistency 

• Building Trust With Branding Strategies 

Why Brand Identity is More Important than Ever 

Before we get into the tactics and strategies, it’s important to understand why a strong brand identity is so important in the first place. 

The most important branding statistic? Well, it might surprise you. 

81% of consumers need to trust a brand before they will even consider purchasing. 

This is a crazy number. 

Think about that for a second. No trust, no sale. It doesn’t matter how good your products are, what prices you are offering, or what the customer service is like, until your audience trusts you, you won’t make the sale. For all of the work you have done and energy you have spent. Zero. 

Building brand awareness is one thing, building trust is another. A West Midlands marketing agency who has experience working with branding and brand identity knows this. Branding isn’t just a one off project, it’s a process. An ongoing one. Constantly testing, learning, and iterating to make your brand stronger, more memorable and more unique. 

Branding Is No Longer Just A Logo 

In the old days, branding was a logo. Companies used simple graphics and stick figures to identify their businesses and separate themselves from their competitors. 

In today’s creative, fast paced world, branding is about so much more than that. We all know what a unique, memorable brand looks like, tastes like, feels like and sounds like. Brand identity now is the combination of all of the above. 

A Unique And Memorable Brand 

Your brand is everything your audience thinks, feels, and associates with your business. 

But what we want to look at are the components of this that are most important. 

Voice, value, and consistency of experience across every touch point. 

Creative Marketing Tactics That Work 

One of the things I love most about working in marketing is that it is a constant challenge. 

Staying on top of the competition. Staying relevant. Staying interesting. 

You need to have a lot of creative marketing approaches up your sleeve to do this. 

Now, creative doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be bleeding edge. In fact, it’s important not to chase every new shiny trick. A lot of those new tactics tend to be fads. On-trend, sure, but fads. Trendy is not good for branding. 

A good creative marketing strategy uses your brand values, voice, and competitive advantages to carve out your own niche. It takes into account your audience, your product, and your pricing. The best creative marketing approaches put all of these together and make your business unique. 

Finding The Right Balance Between Creative And Consistent 

Finding the perfect balance between being creative with marketing and sticking to your brand values is a tough balancing act, but it is so important. If you get this right your brand will be unforgettable. 

But it’s easier said than done. It takes a team with experience and creativity to do this. Not only that but if you want the confidence of knowing you are making smart decisions, having expert analysis of your advertising and marketing data can be the difference between getting it right and getting it wrong. 

A Big Differentiator That Successful Brands Get Right 

The interesting thing about creative marketing approaches is that some work and some don’t. If you want to know one of the best differentiators between businesses that succeed and those that don’t it’s this… 

The ones who try creative new things know how to test properly. 

And by test, we mean using smart data analysis to put ideas through their paces. Quick tests, across multiple variations and channels, will help you find out what’s working and what’s not before you’ve made a big investment. 

Word of mouth has been used since the first salesman walked the earth and is still one of the best ways to spread your marketing message. A referral from a friend, a colleague or family member carries more weight and is more trusted than pretty much any other. Word of mouth digital marketing creates this in the online world. 

How The Right Advertising And Marketing Agency Can Help 

Building a standout brand identity is tough. It takes experience, skill, and deep knowledge of how the market works today. So many agencies out there claim to be able to do this, but not all of them are up to date or experienced. 

The right advertising and marketing agency is a brand extension of yourself. They know how you work, your values, your target audience, and where you want to be. They guide you with a fresh perspective and experience from working with other brands. They help you make confident, data driven decisions, with insights and reports into your campaign performance so you can learn and improve on an ongoing basis. 

Creating Memorable Brand Experiences 

Creating experiences for your customers that they will remember and associate with your brand is more important than ever. 

What are the most powerful branding statistics? 

Build it once, present it consistently. 

Just take a look at some of these. 

Consistently presenting a single brand experience across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%. That’s not a little increase. That’s a big increase. That’s the difference between struggling and succeeding. Giving your audience a consistent brand experience increases your conversion rate, revenue, and the chances of them becoming a repeat buyer. 

What’s the main problem with brand consistency? Marketing agencies and businesses often have separate messaging for different channels. Your website, your social media, your customer service, they all need to match. 

What Does Brand Consistency Look Like? 

Consistency means a lot of things. 

It’s your brand voice, your colour palette, and the way your store, your website, and all of your touch points look and feel. It’s how you present your brand on social media, in print advertising, and in online campaigns. It’s everything your audience comes into contact with. 

Staying Consistent Is Key 

Building a strong brand is hard. Changing your brand and moving away from consistency is a recipe for disaster. Yes, you might think you can change the colour scheme or move your brand into a new direction but it will only cause confusion and hurt your business in the long run. 

Get ready to wrap this up. 

Wrapping This Up 

In this post we have looked at creative marketing, branding statistics and some of the most important things to do when you are working to build a memorable brand identity. The three most important factors are voice, value, and consistency. When you nail these, you have a strong brand. When you nail these and throw in some data and reporting to help you measure and optimize, you have a winning brand. 

The rest of this post has covered how to use creative marketing approaches to help build a stand-out brand that customers love. 

Remember 

• Voice. Value. Consistency. This is the holy trinity of a strong brand. 

• Trust is key. You won’t make the sale until the customer trusts you 

• Creative marketing needs to be data driven. Use quick tests to validate your ideas 

• Word of mouth is one of the most powerful forms of marketing there is 

• Branding is not just a logo, it’s every single thing your audience thinks about when they interact with your business 

• Brand consistency is critical to your success. Stay the same, optimize, and become the go-to brand in your market