5 Steps to Building a Strong Brand Identity

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Experts like Cimone Key, Founder and CEO of Cimone Key Creative Studio,  help companies realize the strength of their brands every day. Cimone Key Creative Studio is a Dallas-based branding and marketing agency that works with intricate business models to convey a brand’s message to the right target audience in a meaningful way.

Here are their five steps for building a strong brand identity:

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Step 1: Conduct a Thorough Brand Audit

A company leader must uncover what is most important for driving growth and analyze how the product or service is actually viewed by consumers. Additionally, an in-depth competitor analysis – including a review of competitor websites, search engine optimization, brand identities and advertising – informs who they will compete with for market share, how to differentiate, and what strategies to employ.

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Step 2: Establish Your Unique Value Proposition and Messaging Statements

In order for a branding effort to be successful, a company must first identify its core philosophies, such as its mission statement and values. It’s also important to determine your brand’s value proposition to the consumer. This is the foundation of building a brand that truly represents your organization.

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Step 3: Develop Your Brand’s Creative Elements

The next step is to create the look, feel, and voice of the brand that will be carried through all marketing channels – from the website, to social media, advertisements, and packaging. The brand voice should be distinctive, resonate with your customers, be consistent and stay true to your company’s values.

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Step 4: Implement Strategies to Establish the Brand Identity

A brand identity is built over time. You must implement several strategies to help grow brand awareness and strengthen the brand. It builds a robust social media presence using all of the appropriate channels to communicate directly with the desired target audience whether on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram. The agency creates a PR strategy that provides placements in the right channels, such as trade journals, mass consumer publications, television and print interviews. It develops a content marketing strategy that tells the story the company wants communicated to its target audience.

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Step 5: Analyze and Refine the Brand Identity

While it is crucial for a brand to establish an intrinsic value to the consumer, it does not mean it shouldn’t change over time. To remain competitive, companies must routinely analyze and refine their brand to ensure it’s delivering on the promises of what the company stands for. A benefit of digital advertising is the ability to track, target, and test new strategies and tactics. Your brand identity should not just be a mission statement on the wall and logo. Your brand is a reflection of your thinking, your character, and your values.

 

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As with any art form (and business is an art form) the one thing you can bring to the table that no one else can is your own, unique perspective. If you water down your message to please everyone, you will get lost. To make sure that doesn’t happen, visit and re-visit these five steps to constantly ensure that your business is an accurate reflection of you.

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