Here are five tips that both business leaders and creative strategists can use to align brand identity with business goals:
Rule Number One: The Customer is King
Before a brand strategy initiative is even a twinkle in the eye of the CEO, a company must understand its customers inside and out. After all, the customer is King. An effective brand strategy seeks to make the King happy, so it's vital to understand what makes the King tick.
Not sure how well you know your King? First of all, you need to do some research. It doesn't matter how big or small the scale, you need to know your customer. And of course, you'll need the obligatory kickoff meeting, wherein you lock yourself in a room with your client and really get to know them. Don't forget, the King also controls the coffers, so a complete inside knowledge of their needs can only help you get where you're going.
Solve Business Issues, Not Just Creative Problems
There are many reasons for a company to undertake a brand identity initiative, such as entry into a new market, a shift in business model, or following a merger or acquisition. What do these situations have in common? They all represent changing positions in the marketplace that will require in-depth branding support.
A rebranding effort is a comprehensive overhaul of a company's position and mission. That is, how the company talks about itself internally and what people are saying about the company. Too often, the re-branding process revolves around solutions to superficial creative "problems", such as the color of a new logo or the exact phrasing of a new tagline.
Instead, business leaders and creatives must first look deeper to discern business problems and objectives. Ask questions that will lead you to the root of the problem and you will receive a lasting answer. When all parties focus on business goals such as sales growth targets or market share increases, the resulting creative will actually solve problems, rather than simply patch them.
Focus on the Bigger Brand Picture
When a business engages a creative services firm, it's often to create or overhaul a specific deliverable such as a website or brochure. This is a short-sighted approach from a business perspective, as it solves a superficial creative problem rather than the larger business problem. Will a "sexy" brochure really increase sales in a target market, or is it just a minor answer to a larger issue?
Business leaders and creative teams should work together to find an overarching branding solution. By looking at the bigger brand picture, a business-savvy creative services firm can successfully drive sales by linking creative and business goals.
Take Your Web Strategy beyond Page Views and Unique Visitors
The web is no longer a novelty channel favored by a subset of your customers. It is the platform for interactive customer engagement and for building brand loyalty. That means your website is not just another place to reinforce your brand. An online experience that goes beyond typical metrics, such as page views and unique visitors, should be front and center in your brand identity strategy.
Fifteen seconds and one click. That's all the time web users will give your site if you don't clearly articulate a key message to them. Keep visitors on your site, and encourage them to dig deeper by creating a compelling online brand experience. Users are closer than ever to the web — every aspect of advertising is built to drive users to a website. And the more compelling the experience, the more likely you are to convert visitors into customers.
From a creative standpoint, there are countless ways to accomplish this. Interactive content, rewards programs, social networking opportunities, podcasts — the list goes on. The key is to make your website fun, relevant, and unique for new and returning visitors. The good news is there are more resources than ever to help you build your brand online; even smaller creative agencies can give you game-changing results from a carefully-designed website.
Use Your New Brand for Evolutionary Growth
The process of implementing or recreating a brand identity can have profound effects both externally and internally. In a business-centric branding effort, every aspect of a company is considered in order to create and reinforce an identity that's authentic and relevant to current and potential customers. The excitement around this new brand identity can inject energy and vitality into a company's operations and spur evolutionary growth, as your business enthusiastically goes about keeping your new brand promises.
Creative services have a direct effect on a company's bottom line. To make the most of that investment, business leaders and creative teams should work together to ensure that the brand identity is closely aligned with a company's business goals — no matter what.
About the Author
Anthony Pappas is President and Creative Director of Pappas Group, a leading brand consultancy and design firm offering strategic and creative services across traditional and interactive mediums. Anthony can be reached at 703-349-7221, or apappas@pappasgroup.com.
