What makes a company special?
There are hundreds of businesses out there selling fast food, but there’s only one McDonalds…
You’ve probably stumbled across dozens of technology companies too, but none of them inspire the same kind of loyalty and commitment as Apple. So why do people fall in love with some companies more than others?
Most of the time, it comes down to one thing: brand power.
Your brand power, or brand identity, represents all of the unique components of your business that separate it from the competition. It’s not just about your logo or the brand colours you choose for your website. Your brand essence entails all of the visual assets you use and those less-tangible concepts like brand values and personality.
It’s pretty common to overlook brand power – at your peril.
When your customers decide which companies to buy from, they’re not just looking for another business with the cheapest products. Instead, your audience wants to buy from a business that they feel connected with. That’s where your brand comes in and that’s why it’s so important.
People do not buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories and magic – that’s the make-up of brand power.
Infusing brand power into your website helps give your digital presence that extra touch that differentiates you from other similar companies.
So, how do you get started?
First impressions are a big deal.
In a perfect world, your visitors would land on your website and instantly fall in love with what they find there. So everything from the unique design of your homepage to the pictures on your product pages should delight and impress your audience.
Unfortunately, if just one element is wrong, then you could also make the wrong impression entirely on your customers too. Adding elements of brand essence to your site will:
- Build trust with your audience
- Make you stand out
- Create an emotional connection
Easy Ways to Add Brand Power to your Website
Since there are so many elements that add up to a strong brand power, there are also a variety of ways you can add your brand to your website. Whether it’s using specific colours to elicit an emotional response from your fans or adding your unique tone of voice into content, there’s no shortage of ways to show off what makes you special…
1. USE YOUR BRAND COLORS CAREFULLY
Brand colours are an important part of your brand power. Log into Netflix, and the bright shades of red will instantly energise you and draw your focus. Likewise, when you see a McDonalds, that golden arch logo might instantly remind you of joy and nourishment.
Colour psychology plays a significant role in every brand asset you create, from the packaging you choose for your products to the shades in your logo. With that in mind, you should be using your colours effectively on your website too. Stick with the same selection of shades in every digital environment online.
2. KNOW YOUR TYPE (ON PAPER)
Your colours are just one component of your brand power. Fonts and typography are other components that your customers use to recognize and understand your business. There are many different styles of font, and new ones appear all the time. However, your company should have a specific selection of fonts that it uses everywhere.
On top of that, you may also use one font for the “heading” text on your website and something slightly different for the body text. Your heading and body text need to be extremely clear and easy to read on any device if you want to appeal to your target audience.
3. KNOW YOUR IMAGES
Stock images can look out-of-touch, cliché, and fake. If you cover your website in images like that, then you’re not going to earn the respect of your customers. Instead, it’s up to you to ensure that every graphic on your website conveys the sentiment and personality of your brand.
Bringing your brand power into your website design means thinking about how you can convey your values in every element of that site. From the photos of your team that show the real humans behind your products and services to the pictures that you use on your product pages, choose your graphics wisely. If you have dedicated brand colours, you can even include these in your photos.
4. NEVER COPY THE COMPETITION
Exploring other website designs and ideas created by your competitors is one of the easiest ways to get inspiration. Competitive analysis gives you an insight into the trends and design strategies that are more likely to work for your target audience. It’s also an opportunity for you to learn from your competitors’ wrongs and what they’re doing right.
However, it would be best if you never allowed your initial research and exploration to go too far. In other words, when you see something great that your competitor is doing, don’t just copy and paste it onto your own website. This is more likely to remind your customers of the other company and send them to that brand than it is to improve your reputation.
Make the Most of Your Brand Essence
Your website is one of the most valuable tools that you’ll have as a brand. It’s an opportunity for you to share your products and services with the world, capture the attention of your target audience, and potentially make sales too. However, it’s important not to forget that your website is also a chance for you to demonstrate what your brand is truly all about.
Through your brand power, you can share the unique values and messages that make your company special. But, more importantly, you can use those components to build a deeper relationship with your audience – the kind of connection that leads to dedicated repeat customers and brand loyalty. People connect with other people – after all, not just faceless corporations.
Once you’ve identified your brand power, the next step is to make sure that you know how to connect with your customers consistently. Every aspect of your website, application, social media pages, and anything else you make for your business sends the same message.
Our final tip? The best websites have the best people making them – so if you’re looking to build something special and hardness the power of your brand, we welcome you to get in touch.
