A phrase that you hear all the time, especially when you're searching for information on growing or developing a business. But what is Brand Identity? Spoiler Alert.. It's not just a logo!

How would you define your own identity? Your accent? The clothes you wear? Your haircut? Your beliefs? Your background? Your memories, experiences or values?

Of course we know that your own identity isn't a single one of those things, but it's a combination of all of them and more.

Isn't it just a logo?

Well, your logo is a visual representation your business, it's something you should be proud of and it’s also the first thing that new customers see. People tend to get very excited about the logo, but it’s very important not to forget the rest of your businesses identity.

Voice

After your customers have seen your shiny logo, if your conversion funnel is working, they’re likely to either read some of your social media, website content or talk to you - possibly even over the phone! This is where your businesses voice comes into play.

The style with which you communicate with your customers is a large part of your businesses voice, and it’s important to be consistent with it. It’s like talking to a friend - if they suddenly started using words and phrases not usually in their vocabulary, you’d find it a little strange, it’s the same with you and your customers.

Make the decision how you want to come across to your customers and stick to it. You could be friendly and informal, speak with authority, or stay straight and to the point. However you want to come across, make sure you own it and stay consistent.

Your 'Why'

A really important aspect of your brand identity is your mission, or why you do what you do. This is a great way to communicate to your customers exactly what you stand for. The way you word this, and of course the content of your mission statement is a critical tool in defining your brand identity. For a more in depth understanding of writing a mission statement that really tells your customers why you do what you do, check out this this article, and learn how to write your very own mission statement.

Personality

Just like you have a personality, so does your business. This comes across from your logo, a lot through your voice, and also your mission statement - from these things a customer knows how you communicate and why you're in business which gives them a really great idea of what your identity is.

Expectations

From all of the above, customers will start to have expectations from your business, which can be scary, but it also gives you a great chance to shine. Customers will both expect you to continue to communicate in the way they have become accustomed, but as well as that they will expect your product or service to match the style and quality of your visual and written communication.

These expectations form a part of your conversion funnel, which is the path customers take from initially not having anything to do with your business, all the way to becoming a customer and spending their hard earned money with you.

Consistency

If you and your business can be consistent with all aspects of your brand identity, you stand a far better chance of getting and maintaining a great and loyal customer base, and we all know that a loyal customer base is one of the most important keys to long term success.