Brand Image 101: Ultimate Strategies that Create Lasting Impressions

Last Updated on July 17, 2024 by DesignerPeople

When shopping for a product, do you opt for the first one you see or specifically look for a particular brand? I know it’s the latter. But have you ever wondered why we do so? It’s because we have certain expectations from the products we use and tend to lean towards brands that meet those expectations.

But how do brands manage to meet and exceed our expectations? The answer lies in the strength of their brand image. Your brand image should complement your products and help in the growth of your business. In this blog, we’ll explain what brand image is and why it’s important and provide some tips on how you can build a strong brand image for your business.

What is brand image, and why does it matter in branding?

Brand image is the general impression that people have about your brand and its products and services. It’s all the ideas and feelings they get from dealing with the brand and what they think its personality is like.

Every business, irrespective of the industry, needs a strong brand image. Your brand image acts like a magnet for getting people to check out your website, promote your products, bring in new customers, and bring back old customers, all of which increase your sales.

Good-quality products and a solid brand image play an equally important role in your brand. For example, HRX is synonymous with empowerment and athleticism. Similarly, the good old Frooti reminds us of refreshment and young energy in the iconic tetra pack. These are their brand images, which capture what they stand for.

Brand image is a crucial step in branding. It helps increase brand recognition and creates a strong competitive advantage. The brand image also influences customer loyalty and retention, just like I mentioned in the examples above. A solid brand image can evoke emotions in both potential and existing customers, encouraging them to keep coming back for your products.

Significant Elements of Brand Image for Overall Impression

A brand image consists of certain essential elements, as given below.

1. Visual identity

Your brand’s visual identity comprises your logo, colour scheme, imagery, typography and creative brand design. These visual elements help consumers identify and remember the brand.

The components of your visual identity should address questions that need to be answered to build a strong brand image. For example, ask yourself if you’re communicating the right words to attract the right customers.

2. Customer Experience

The brand image of your brand helps translate your brand into experiences for customers, employees and other types of audiences. Apart from the visual elements, certain aspects like customer interactions also form a crucial part of brand image. Do your customer-facing employees provide friendly and helpful service? Are your physical and online stores designed to be welcoming and easy to navigate?

3. Emotional connection

Brands that make customers feel a strong connection can build a loyal group of customer base. While crafting your brand image, ask yourself, is my brand trustworthy, or does my brand make people happy? Emotions like trust, happiness and good memories are powerful for making people like your brand. Using an emotional connection, you can create an image that speaks to your audience, making them feel joy, desire, admiration, inspiration, and so on.

4. Reputation

Reputation is another basic element of brand image. What customers think of how you operate, the quality you deliver, and how you perform overall builds your brand’s reputation. Things such as how customers experience your brand, what they hear from others, and what they see in the media are important parts of shaping your brand’s reputation. This, in turn, affects your brand image.

5. Brand Personality

Brand personality is how your brand communicates with the public. The brand voice, values, mission statement, slogan and positioning are all part of it. Your brand personality shows what your brand stands for and highlights what sets you apart from competitors. Maintaining a consistent brand personality that aligns with your overall brand identity will help you build a strong and attractive brand image.

Top 8 Strategies to Build a Solid Brand Image

Building a brand image needs a solid strategy. Here are the steps you need to take to develop a robust brand image.

1. Prepare a brand positioning statement

A brand positioning statement explains how your message compares to other brands. It tells your customers how your products offer solutions to their problems. Always keep your brand positioning statement short, unique and authentic to your business values. It should clearly state what your brand does and how it’s different from others. Keeping it simple helps people remember it easily and shapes how your brand is seen.

2. Audience Analysis and Personas

Analysing your target audience helps your brand understand your customers’ preferences and needs. An audience or customer persona represents the people a business wants to reach. Both these elements can make your customer service and brand image better. All your branding efforts should focus on understanding your audience, including what they need, like, want and expect. Conduct apt market research and segmentation to know your audience better. Include factors like their age, gender, education, income, lifestyle, interests and so on.

3. Create a compelling brand identity

Your brand identity should tell a narrative about your company. It’s mostly expressed through visual elements and value propositions. So, these elements must reflect what your company stands for. Conveying an authentic brand identity to your customers will help them form a genuine connection with your brand. Having a strong brand identity also helps bring in repeat customers. To create a compelling brand identity, start by understanding what makes your brand unique and then focus on the visual parts like colour schemes and typography.

4. Create a professional website

A good website stands at the forefront of your brand’s online presence, digital branding and customer engagement. The information on your website should be accurate and helpful, but the look, feel, and appearance of the website are equally important. How a website looks determines the initial impression users form, which is part of your brand image. Add informative pages like About Us, FAQs about your brand, contact details and an online store. Also, ensure your website is attractive, consistent, and aligned with your brand personality.

5. Brand Aesthetic and Personality

Brand image and brand personality walk hand-in-hand. Your brand personality comprises non-visual elements to communicate with your audience. Determine your brand personality by combining your online presence, branding and how you interact with customers. For example, if you sell cosmetics to young people, your brand should be fun and quirky. But if you’re a healthcare provider, your brand should be formal, serious and comforting. While creating your brand aesthetics, pick colours and fonts that match your brand voice, personality and target audience.

6. Implement marketing strategy

Marketing is a powerful tool that helps shape how people think about your brand. If done right, it can build a strong and attractive brand image, like the HRX and Frooti references I mentioned earlier. Use apt marketing strategies like advertising, collaborations with influencers or other popular people, or social media campaigns to connect with your customers. These strategies let you share your brand message and build long-lasting relationships with your audience. Use marketing to make people see your brand the way you want them to.

7. Get feedback from customers

Once you have included all the elements and implemented all the strategies to build a solid brand image, your job doesn’t end there. You have to constantly keep working on it to keep it relevant, attractive and engaging. A big part of this process is collecting feedback from your customers. Gather insights through online reviews, surveys, in-person interactions, or comments on your website and social media pages. Know what you’re doing well and what you could do better. This way, you can gauge your brand image and adapt accordingly.

How can your business benefit from a strategic brand image?

A strategic brand image not just aids in your entire branding process but it also helps your business in a lot of other ways, as given below:

1. A solid brand image increases recognition

A strong brand means people easily recognise your company and what it stands for. Your goal shouldn’t just be about selling products or providing services; it should be about having a mission and offering meaning through your products and services. Having a strong brand image means that people know your brand, trust your products and relate to your brand values.

A solid brand image helps your target audience recognise your brand, even from far away. The positive opinions of existing customers will further bring new customers to your brand. It will also make it easier for you to launch new products under the same brand.

2. Establishes credibility

A good brand image will make people trust your company more than your competitors. When your brand image is authentic and consistent, it establishes credibility with your customers. You can make sure that your brand image stays consistent and establishes credibility by listening to customer feedback and addressing their issues quickly.

Keeping customer data safe and supporting important social causes like sustainability will always help you build a stronger brand image. When customers see a brand as trustworthy, they’re more likely to pick it over others. Focus on the quality of your products and services so that customers keep coming back to you.

3. Your business appears more prosperous

Businesses that display their brand on social media, websites or business cards through a solid brand image attract a lot of people. It makes people think that these companies have what it takes to help them succeed or solve their problems. In fact, they’re willing to pay more for the products of such brands than the ones that don’t have a strong brand.

An honest brand image makes people feel what your brand stands for. It helps your business stand strong, appear distinct from other companies within the industry and gain trust. All of this leads to your brand appearing more affluent to both existing and potential customers.

4. Increases referrals

Sometimes, all it takes for someone to try a company is a good word from someone they trust. When customers really like your brand, they’ll come back to buy more. Also, they are highly likely to tell their friends and family about your products and services. This helps your brand get more people interested, especially since people always trust each other’s opinions.

Having a solid brand image helps bring new customers through word of mouth. Referrals are a big part in growing a company’s customer base, and a strong brand image is a big part in increasing referrals.

5. A solid brand image boosts revenue

A brand image directly affects what people choose to buy. So, if your brand image is liked by your target audience, they will buy your products often. They will even bring new customers, as mentioned above. All this will lead to increased sales of your products and services.

The best way to build trust in your customers is to have a strong, consistent, honest brand image. When customers trust a company and its products, they buy more, which boosts revenue. Keeping your branding consistent builds trust as customers rely on it to judge how reliable your company is in meeting their needs.

Conclusion

Creating a brand image can lift your company in the market, drawing in more customers and boosting sales. People know and trust a company that has a strong brand image. A solid brand identity also improves connections with both current and potential customers.

When your brand becomes widely recognised, it helps your brand succeed for many coming years. If you want to make your brand more recognisable through a strong brand image, look no further. Contact us today to boost your revenue!

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Author: Anush Malik