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Steps to creating a powerful brand identity

In Blogging, Branding, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Michigan Creative, Photography, Video by Elizabeth Carter

No matter what your company produces, having a consistent brand is essential to reach potential and current customers. In the digital age, social media marketing is becoming one of the most popular ways to receive brand recognition. However, there are several steps your company must take to capitalize on their posts before initiating a social media campaign.

DEFINE YOURSELF

Who is your company and what are you trying to do? As long as everyone in your company unanimously decides who you are and what you want to be known for, the rest falls into place. A mission statement, logo creation, and a brand standards guide are examples of how you can define your brand. If you are having trouble establishing a consistent and effective brand, Michigan Creative can help!

BE CONSISTENT

Once you have secured your brand’s identity, it’s important to make all of your interactions compatible with your audience. Color patterns, fonts, and company hashtags are fun and easy ways to keep communication consistent. By having unique brand guidelines, your audience will begin to recognize you from outside the social media context.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Your audience can and will heavily influence certain aspects of your brand—it’s important to know who they are. Properly targeting your audience is perhaps the most important part of social media marketing.
For example, if you plan on targeting college students, you should get to know and understand some of their wants, needs, and interests. This may sound difficult, but there are plenty of websites and features to help you gain knowledge of your potential and current customers.

KNOW YOUR PLATFORM

Different social media platforms call for different types of posts. Consider whether or not it makes sense for you to post photos or videos, or to invest in written content. If your brand relies on imagery, Instagram and Pinterest would be an appropriate fit. If your brand prefers written content and customer interaction—articles, blogs, or surveys—Facebook or Twitter may be ideal.
Another consideration is the age of social media users. The average audience on Instagram is between the ages of 18-34, while the average audience on Facebook is between 25-34. This doesn’t mean you can’t use multiple platforms, but your brand should offer flexibility while remaining consistent.

GO OUT AND CRUSH IT

Creating a unique brand is an empowering process — it will provide you with a renewed motivation and purpose, and will guide future business decisions. By finding your identity and what you stand for, you can better serve your employees and customers.

NEED MORE GUIDANCE?

If you need guidance in the photo/video world, we would be happy to help! If you want help with social media marketing in general, click here!