There’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to branding. That said, there are certain techniques and tips that work for every brand, regardless of its size, scale, and nature.

The perception is that bigger, more established brands tend to have more resources and budgets for branding exercises, with startups, solopreneurs and SMEs getting the shorter end of the branding kits.  This perception could not be further from reality – all brands need to keep an eye on their brand identity and its visual, verbal and experiential expression. More resources and budget need not equal better quality or relatability and, ultimately, branding success. 

Well, the good news here is that we have come up with effective tips, tricks, and techniques for branding in 2023 that will work for every brand at every stage of its lifecycle, existing or upcoming. 

6 Accessible Tips and Strategies for Branding in 2023

1: Build a solid and clear brand identity:

Brand identity is the set of values, look and feel, messages, and key unique points that when they all come together represent a brand that the customer identifies with. We can all recall household brands that stand for a set of attributes in our mind – automotive and consumer packaged goods have done solid work in this regard. 

Brand identity starts with establishing the brand house and brand personality frameworks and continues on a roadmap for success. 

2: Be Crystal Clear About Your Purpose 

Today’s customers are savvy, educated, and well-exposed to global, regional and local news and trends. They care about selecting brands that resonate with their own values and interests, and today they can with the abundance of brands, products and services. 

Being clear about your business and brand purpose, positioning, and value that you add as well as delivering on those promises, will serve to establish not only clarity but, importantly, credibility with your customers. Credibility leads to brand love and, ultimately, differentiation. 

3: Create a Strong Visual Brand Identity

A strong visual identity serves to distinguish your brand from competitors and allows for recognition and top-of-mind association for your customers and stakeholders. The logo, font and colors are the tripod to build any brand and stem out of the brand house, personality, values, positioning and value proposition. Creating a visual brand identity includes selecting appropriate brand colours, designs, and fonts in order to create all visual designs online and offline. The logo, in particular, is the face of your business. 

An impactful visual brand identity is one that stands true to your brand essence yet also is in tune with the time. On average, household brands re-brand or facelift every 7-10 years, while smaller brands and startups have more immediate needs. 

At Zoom Digital, we have years of experience in branding in multiple verticals and for various brand challenges. Our experts are ready to support you on this journey to success; you can book your consultation on this link. 

4: Humanise Your Brand

One look at the internet and you will see so many companies selling the same products/services as you. At this point, you need to understand why your target audience should choose you over them.

Humanising your brand is one such strategy that can help you get noticed and gain a competitive edge. So, instead of following the same run-of-the-mill practices and techniques, try and humanise your brand. This can trigger an emotional response from the target audience, resulting in better recognition and engagement.

Firstly, to humanise your brand, highlight your brand story. Doing so in an interactive way is an even better approach. Don’t hesitate in showcasing the struggles and challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Humanising the brand centres on creating Human 2 Human experiences starting with the verbal tone of voice, style, choice of words and extending into the digital and offline experiences the brand creates for its customers. 

5: Build Your Presence with Digital at the Core 

The era of building it and they will come is over. A store with signage, invoices and bags and great visual merchandising is not enough. 

Today customers from Gen Z to Baby Boomers are using mobile phones, resorting to the internet for information, reviews, influencers and a host of other “information overload sources” to know about your brand, evaluate it and decide on purchase!

Today having a brand identity that translates into digital assets, content (visual, video, written) needs to be at the core of your business. To know more about creating and implementing possibilities, click here.  

6: Offer Exceptional & Consistent Customer Experience 

People do business with people. We have all heard this phrase before, and it resonates to this day. 

How many times have you experienced great decor, food and not-so-good customer service? Most probably, you will not return to that restaurant nor recommend it to your social circle. 

As part of humanising the brand, customer experience is a strong element of attracting, convincing, and retaining customers. Your brand’s employees and your people are also part of the branding footprint and impact the customer experience. The brand experience starts from the last 10 feet of customer-to-employee interaction. And we are here with you and your teams throughout the entire branding process to create a seamless experience across all touch-points. 

Wrapping Up

As times have changed, so has the impact and importance of branding. It has become more important than ever for brands to evolve with them in order to remain at the forefront. 

Would you like to receive professional advice for branding in 2023? 

Contact our team of brand consultants at Zoom Digital. We have an in-house team of experienced consultants who are as excited to build your brand as you are.