Guest post by Donna Estrada: Every company needs to have a brand that helps them to be remembered by the target audience. Your brand is one of the aspects that makes you different from companies that compete with you.

There are two types of branding strategy: brand image and brand identity. The difference between these two is that brand identity is how you want potential buyers to perceive your product. Brand image is the way the customers actually perceive your product. The brand identity is the voice, while the brand image is what the consumers hear.

 

In simpler terms, brand identity is “who you really are” and brand image is “how the market perceives you”. Brand identity is the promise that you swore to give to your consumers while the brand image is what the public think of what you have got for them.

These two elements are important in building your brand but if there’s something you need to focus on, it should be the brand image. Here are few of the reasons why brand image exceeds brand identity when it comes to brand strategy.

Sets you apart from competitors

No matter how similar the products that you have to your competitors’, your brand is what sets you apart. Start within the company and ask your consumers. You need to view everything through their lens to make sure that you know what they want and not what you want for them.

If you really want to point out that your product is different from others, you should know that there is no need to compare it with others. Letting the people know that your product is better than the others says something about your company’s character.

For example, if the market asks you about what you’re offering, answer them with what you offer and not with what your competitors don’t offer. You need build a positive image of your product instead of spending time on negative publicity for competitors.

Builds trusts and fosters loyalty

Trust is not just a rule that needs to be implemented. When it comes to business, you will be trusted if you have proved to them that you are worthy to be trusted. Being trusted is crucial to getting people to be loyal to you and your brand.

Consumers don’t believe in words, they believe in what they see. The brand is not just about what you see in the logo, it’s about how can it be helpful to the users. Brand identity is important since it’s where the reputation of your business is at stake. If you have a background tainted with dishonesty and controversies, people will doubt your trustworthiness.

What people hear about your company is more important than what you are voicing out. People nowadays put more belief in crowdsourcing than in what they see in advertisements. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter whether the logo is reversed. People trust people more than the visuals.

Maintains consistent recognition

Almost all of the popular brands have undergone a lot of changes until they came up with an image that could last a long time. This is very similar to what Dunkin’ Donuts and Pepsi and other companies did with their brand image.

Also, similar to what the top social media sites Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, did to their recent logos:

 

As you noticed, the design and layout are not that different from the older versions. They might change the appearance but the identity is still noticeable. For example, take the latest logo update of Instagram. Remember when it shifted from colorful to black and white, then they went back to colorful again? The color might change but the camera symbol still remained.

If you are planning to change your logo, make sure that it is still recognizable to the users or consumers. When it comes to brand image, how much you keep on changing the design won’t matter anymore if you have established your brand well.

Creates an impact on consumers

Brand image is important because it is how consumers would rate your brand. It explains the purpose of your product. It gives the answer to the question why people need to buy the product you are selling to the market.

There is what we call Persuasive Communication techniques, which will help you create a great advertisement. Persuasive communication refers to how the strong a message is to be able to influence behavior, beliefs, and thinking. It is different from forcing people to believe in you but using techniques that would help you in getting their attention.

After getting to know your audience, you may now start on how to sell it to them through the science of persuasion: 6 Universal Principles of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini.

• Reciprocity – This is where you can use the popular quote, but in … way. Whenever you receive something, you are obliged to give in return. It can be in a form of behavior, gift or even service. For example, if someone did something for you then you owe them a favor. It is said that people would be more likely to say yes to someone that they owe.
• Scarcity – It’s when people want to have more of the things that are limited. If there is a scarce resource, people value it more highly. There should be three factors that are needed in this principle: beneficial, unique, limited.
• Authority – This is very similar to the Persuasive Technique’s tenet. Once people know that it is endorsed by a credible and knowledgeable expert, the idea is the consumers will follow the lead.
• Consistency – It should be a voluntary, an active and a public commitment. For example, to know the percentage of people who often go to your restaurant, don’t ask the cashier if who among the customers who are present have been into your restaurant for countless times already. Prepare a sheet to be answered by your customers.
• Liking – People can’t love what they hate. If a person likes your product, there will be a huge chance that they will purchase it. This is the reason why you need to keep the consumer in mind when you are planning for an innovation.
• Consensus – If people are doing it, it will make the consumer more likely to do it.

Psychology can affect the decisions of your consumers. It’s about how you approach them to get their attention. You can either use the Principles of Persuasion or the Persuasive Techniques.

About the author: Donna Estrada is an editor for Scoopfed and a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She enjoys reading books about Persuasive Communication and Advertising, and sometimes she contributes for Sign Letter Source.